


Before They Lived Happily Ever After

by yilloofnarwin



Category: Tennis RPF
Genre: Bonding, M/M, Mating, Prequel, Vampire!Rafa, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-05-31 00:20:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6447919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yilloofnarwin/pseuds/yilloofnarwin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How it all began for Rafa, the vampire, and Roger, his future Mate...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Roger Of All People

**Author's Note:**

> This is the promised prequel to my stories Hunger and A Medal to His Eyes.  
> As I explained before, this is just my own take on vampires, not really following the usual, so please, bare with me! :)  
> Otherwise, I hope you enjoy reading it and I'm very much looking forward to comments and feedback and please, just let me know if you even want me to continue posting this! Thank you in advance!

“You have time to stay, Roger?” Rafa asks and, getting ‘yes’ as the answer, he leans comfortably back in the armchair, opens his mouth to talk, but not really knowing how to begin, closes it again.

Roger is across from him, sitting on the bed, feeling surprisingly homey in Rafa’s room, looking only a slightly bit stunned by Rafa’s previous revelation. Rafa is worried about this; shouldn’t Roger react more... shocked? It’s getting on his nerves that Roger is always so demure but the next words he speaks provide some key to the even-headed behaviour.

“Raf... you have to explain this in details because I don’t understand a word of it. What do you mean by vampire? Give me proof! Though I see you are talking seriously, this can still be the biggest prank you pull on me. I know your poker face as you know mine.”

“Sí,” says Rafa absent-mindedly and giggling a bit, but soon coming to his right sense and changing the tone back to dead serious. “Now I am telling you everything.”

His eyes are drilling deeply into Roger’s, not stopping until the other man feels they have reached the very soul of him.

It makes Roger think that he got himself in deep shit, very deep shit at best.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Rafa had always been aware of the vampires’ existence since he was about five years old. The day when his little sister was born was the significant one when he overheard his father and mother softly whispering in the hospital, sharing their worries and expectations about the small bundle that was Maribel, held gently in Ana María’s arms.

Rafael was hiding in the shadows beside the door, knowing his parents didn’t discover him. He heard about things he didn’t understand back then – about how rare it was for a girl to inherit vampire genes. She might have got it in her, she might have not, was the conclusion of the adults’ conversation.

It wasn’t that Rafa was not interested in the mystical things he accidentally stumbled upon; more likely, he cared about his friends, his fútbol, watching his grandfather compose music or hanging out at the beach. And he was immensely more occupied with his tennis, very early on. Therefore he did decide he would leave it to his parents until they found it necessary to alert and inform him about this strange creature topic. He figured he had nothing to worry about until he would know it for sure.

On Rafa’s twelfth birthday, right after the clock’s hands left midnight and the 3rd of June had arrived, his Papá entered his bedroom, sat on the side of his bed, shook him awake and slowly but firmly explained everything to his son.

Getting to know Papá was a vampire wasn’t a big shock for Rafael, after all he had gotten to that conclusion years ago. It turned out to be much more interesting that it had been running in the family for centuries, mainly in the male members of it.

Despite human belief, based on the traditional and ordinary myths, vampire genes were inheritable, as well. One still could get turned by force, by being bitten, but most of the existing vampires in the world came from an ancient family, abilities carried by the sons, fewer times by the daughters. That night Rafael got to know that his sister, Maribel, didn’t inherit it, and for some reasons his Papá and Mamá were very satisfied with that.

Sebastian, his father, told him all there was to know and answered his son’s questions with care and utter patience. That was how Rafael Nadal came of age as a vampire, the first time.

He had been learning to live together with this knowledge and to get used to utilizing his capabilities. He had learned to listen to his vampire instincts, to recognize the signs, and by them to find the one person whose blood would quench his hunger the most. Again, in spite of  what was dreaded by the mankind, a vampire didn’t have to murder his prey, by all means, nor were they living dead creatures. They turned when they got hungry, usually only once a day, even more rarely during their early years. Rafa was taught how to hunt, how to draw blood in the most innocent manner, how to heal the victim. The random people would not even remember what had happened to them.

Being a regular human, except when hunger occurred, Rafa lived the almost normal life of a teenager. He had fun with his friends and relatives, went to school (having only minor success there), played fútbol (with much more success) and played tennis under the guidance of his Uncle, Toni. With the same enthusiasm and good results he had in fútbol.

A year passed since he had been indulging the new vampire lifestyle. It worked fabulously, he was a fast learner, and the creature in him had been kept under his complete control. He still had some bad times. He had to decide what to do with his human life; whether to continue on playing fútbol or tennis. It was one of the hardest decisions he had ever had to make; more difficult than facing his inheritance. At long last he had made up his mind, at the cost of tears, and he had chosen tennis. For life.

Later he told his father it had been either tennis, where he could have kept his desires at bay easier, being an individual sport which isolated him more from his fellow players, or he could have forgotten about professional sports; because in a team, getting so close to his mates, it would have been impossible for him not to slip up sometimes. Tennis was still a risky choice but Rafa was determined to give it a try.

There was a second important moment in his young life as a vampire – when at the age of sixteen the urge of feeding had got paired up with sexual desire. He discovered that his sexual appetite combined with hunger had led him to the same person most of the time, so this way María Francisca, his best friend among all the girls around him, started to mean more to him. She had become the one who Rafa had trusted with his life and could have always relied on. Her blood was a beautiful shade of purple and rich and tasty for his buds. Only in his deepest thoughts could Rafa describe it; he couldn’t have explained it and no one would have understood anyway.

Occasionally some minor disasters happened. Like that one time when Rafa chose a male friend to feed from. He wasn’t ready to have sex with a boy; he didn’t even know what to do. It made him enraged when things didn’t work out and the encounter ended up being violent and the guy hurt by Rafa drinking his blood against his will.

After that he tried to avoid males as much as he could. When his father cornered him about it and provided enough information on the topic, Rafa got reassured that it was normal, nothing to be ashamed of, but he remained somewhat reserved with men.

Up until the latest events of that doomed day of his 20th birthday. The third and most important date in his life – coming of age, stage three. Becoming a fully grown vampire. Getting to own every ability on the highest level; reaching the adult status.

He was ready. Or he believed so.

Yet, it hit him with such elemental force that he was knocked off his feet when the first person crossed his path after the final change. Everything increased. His nose could separate ingredients of a shower gel based on a sniff. Not to mention the scents of different type of blood. He could smell people from a long distance and he was hungry, so hungry.

He went to the site that early to avoid others, in case he couldn’t resist the urge. At that moment when he saw Feliciano Lopez walking towards him, he knew it was the biggest mistake he had made in his short life.

Rafa stood and shouted at him, he warned him not to come closer, to go away and never come back. But it wouldn’t have been Feli if he had listened to Rafa. The next moment he was being dragged through the locker room at Stade de Roland Garros until they reached one of the shower rooms. There Feli was being slammed into a cubicle, the door harshly shut behind them, and Rafa pushed him to the tiled wall.

“What the...?” Feli exclaimed but was muted by Rafa’s palm clamping down on his mouth, clenching so wildly that Feli was sure there would be marks left on his cheeks.

The vampire was in his element. For the first time in his life he felt the urge so forcefully and it overwhelmed his senses. Rafa, the human, didn’t know what he was doing, he didn’t hear the other man’s fearful questions, and he didn’t feel how desperately Feli tried to escape from him. He followed his awoken instincts that presented him with unlimited power. He let the matured creature rule his actions.

It was over as fast as it began. Rafa came back to the human world finding them in a position that shook him to the core. He was holding the unconscious Feli Lopez, his fangs were sunk in Feli’s neck, blood was still flowing down Rafa’s throat and he was gulping it down eagerly. His cock had penetrated the other man’s arse and was now shrinking to its resting size and slipping out of him.

Rafa pulled the fangs out and let himself sink to the cold floor, together with Feli’s body.

He was shocked. No matter how satisfied the vampire in him had gotten, Rafa, the human, realizing what had happened, felt sick.

“What have I done?” he whispered into the air.

And there, on the shiny tiles of the shower stall, Rafa held his friend, rocked him, and cried.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The silence could be touched; it is so thick in the hotel room where Rafa is standing in front of the window, staring out of it, staring down onto the busy streets of Paris.

Roger is sitting on his bed in the position he had been in since Rafa has begun to tell him his story. A story that scares Roger, even more, it makes him shudder in fear, the feeling crawling up on his spine and reaching out for his heart, squeezing it with icy fingers. How could this happen? Why does it have to be Rafa? Why him? The most genuine and lovely guy Roger had ever known among his fellow players. Rafa is only a kid, for God’s sake! How can he face this with such calm and such... integrity?

“You think this bad, sí?” The soft question is coming from the window’s direction. Rafa doesn’t turn to look at Roger; he doesn’t want to see his dismay. It’s more than enough to endure that he feels the waves of horror coming off the other man. He thinks this is just another proof of what Roger means to him and it makes his heart pound against his ribcage and his mood a bit risen. He forces himself to look at the older man at last, and come to sit beside him, not too close. Roger doesn’t flinch away and Rafa is happy.

“It’s bad in a way, isn’t it? I mean all that you have to go through... It’s difficult to wrap my mind around something I have never known about. And that it is you, you know,” Roger speaks carefully.

Rafa nods. “I understand. I want you understand something, too. It is not bad for me. It is my inheritance. I am what I am, I grow up like this and I no want to change it. It shocking to hear all, I see that. But it happen to me slowly, through many years. I am in control...”

“You didn’t seem to be in control when you attacked Lleyton on the practice court today!” Roger points it out.

Rafa sighs and looks really tired. He has been talking for hours and he still doesn’t see the end of it. It is harder than he expected. “Sí,” he says in a weak voice. He doesn’t know how to continue from now on.

“Was that similar to the attack against Lopez?” asks Roger gently.

Rafa flinches by the interpretation. The words ‘attack’ and ‘against’ drum in his head and he has to swallow a couple of times to suppress the surging sensations of getting sick again.

“I... sí... but... not like that,” he stutters. “I am no monster, Rogelio.”

Roger fondly smiles when he hears the nickname. “I figure you did that because you were not in control of the new level of your... power?” he says, trying to lend some helping words to Rafa so he could pick up the line of talking easier.

“Yes. I should no come to see people that day. I felt OK that morning but I know it was a mistake. I got the lecture from Papá and I explained it to Feli later. He have to know why it happened. He say it would be OK, I should just ask him next time. And the sex was good until he was conscious. Funny, no? Turn out he likes me that way,” chuckles Rafa at the end. A part of the situation was indeed comical in the oddest way.

Roger squirms and now it is him who doesn’t find the words. This last bit of information strikes him unpleasantly. “Oh,” he says. That is all he can come up with.

Rafa notices the confusion but doesn’t address it. He goes on with the story...

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

When Papá sat him down, casting the strictest look at him, and investigated the case of Rafa and Feli Lopez, Rafa thought he had never gone through such a torturous hour before. First of all, he shouldn’t have been at the tennis site at all. He shouldn’t have met any human before he had eaten that morning; no matter he hadn’t felt hungry yet. Feeding would have dampened his unbalanced instincts and Sebastian had been very disappointed in him not having remembered this important fact because he had warned Rafa many times.

Papá was also repeating the method of finding his mate to him. Rafa knew. He perfectly knew there would be someone, somewhere, who he would meet one day, after he had gained his full potency. The vampire would recognize this person at the very moment he had seen them. Even earlier he would know his future mate was around, as he would sense their scent if they were close enough to him. Only a full grown vampire was able to search for them, find them and charm them. Success wouldn’t be a problem for the creature; they won their mates over most of the time. Some scary tales were floating around about vampires that had never met their mates, or the mate hadn’t been willing to bond them. Or the bonding went askew for some reasons that he had better not to think of. Despite that, Rafa was confident he would have his mate with him one day, and the sooner, the better.

He had found it fascinating at a young age that there was someone out there in the world who was destined to him and only him. The stories of Papá and Mamá finding each other, and also his idolized Grandfather wooing his own partner, Rafa’s Grandmother, were exciting and adventurous. Rafa had always been charmed by the portrayal of The Calm that was supposed to engross his entire being at the moment he first saw his mate. He had been told that possibly his soul wouldn’t be at peace until he founded his other half and bonded them. But after that everything would be like heaven and the Mate would always silence his raging urges, keep him at bay, and help him reach out for other people whose blood was the most matching to drink of on given day. He would also feed from his partner many times and he had heard about older vampires who fed exclusively from their Mates later on.

Rafa knew all this. He didn’t need his father reminding him. Then again, he deserved the lecture that followed the Feli incident. He accepted it, took every word in, and promised Papá he would be careful and eat many times until he had his newly awaken senses perfectly amenable.

If it was an exceptionally hard conversation with Sebastian, then it was even harder on Rafa telling everything to Feliciano. But in the end Feli hugged him without any hesitation and said he would be glad to help Rafa anytime he needed it. Their friendship strengthened and Rafa could be only grateful for not losing the other Spaniard’s respect and support.

Three days had passed since the unfortunate events at the locker room, and it was only yesterday when he met Feli in private and talked to him. Rafa was gaining back his confidence and he was particularly keen on remaining well-fed. He could avoid the players even if sometimes one of them would match his desire. On those occasions he was able to decide to move onto someone else whose blood wouldn’t satisfy him completely but still did the deal for him. Well, he had always hoped he could move on, even now, when his sensibility tried to settle down.

Rafa was sitting at his locker, preparing for his upcoming practice that afternoon. He was alone at his row. Titín went to check if their practice court was already available and Uncle Toni was off to gather a couple of restrung racquets.

He felt something vaguely odd and following that there was a sudden change in the air he was sniffing with increased attention. Funny scent, he thought, but very nice. Sweaty, spicy, with an undertone of flowery flavour that was barely traceable. Rafa shrugged, shook it off because he had other things to do now, and looked up from examining his racquet only when the noises announced someone was arriving close to him.

That scent hit his nose again, this time harsher, almost knocking him off the bench. He dropped the racquet – it clattered on the ground. His eyes were glued to the man standing a few lockers further away, drinking the sight in. He was overwhelmed; swept away. His skin started to tingle, the blood thrummed in his ears, his heart raced and overall he just wanted to throw up violently. So this was that feeling! But was it? Seriously? Rafa felt neither fascinated nor excited. And definitely not adventurous! Oh, no! He had just met his Mate, his Chosen One for life, the one person he would be bonded to... And where was The Calm when one needed it?

“Are you all right?” questioned a distant voice. “You look like you have just seen a ghost!”

Rafa shook himself and stood up. His legs hardly held him; they almost collapsed under the weight of his discovery.

“Oops, hey, careful there!” said the other man and jumped forward to grab Rafa’s arm, helping him stand straight.

At the first touch Rafa had to close his eyes tightly; he knew the thin red lines have already started to form in them and soon there would be silver breaking through. He pressed his lips together so firmly it hurt and while hearing the question about his well-being over and over again, he commanded his inner creature to retreat. The vampire wanted to claim his Mate without further ado. Rafa had been taught better than that.

It cost all his strength to rein himself and finally he was able to open his eyes. Another pair of brown ones stared back at him seemingly concerned.

“I am fine,” Rafa said, still fighting the desire of taking this man right there on one of the benches. “¡Gracias!”

“Are you sure?” The man didn’t look pleased with the answer and slipped his hand up on Rafa’s arm to hold his shoulder.

Then it came. It took away every ounce of Rafa’s will to bite, to fuck, to conquer. There it was – The Calm. Instant warmth, happiness and silence fell upon him, such inner peace that he had never known before. This was it; his Mate was calling out for him. Here he was standing in front of Rafa, touching him, hopefully never letting him go.

Roger Federer, of all people.


	2. "You can jump on balconies"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next part, you guys! Thank you for all the hits, the Kudos, and especially taking time to comment!  
> Hope you will enjoy this one, too! Oh, and I forgot to say at the beginning that this is a finished work actually, it just got a bit too long, so that's why I decided posting it in chapters. It's going to be up to 5-6 chapters in all. :)

Rafa couldn’t hold back a joyful grin. It was as silly as it could get, no? How on Earth would he explain this to Roger? How should he approach him in the first place? How would Roger receive the knowledge of Rafa’s existence, and that he, Roger, had been chosen to be a vampire’s Mate? Oh, Dios mío, what would he think of the Bonding Ceremonies? Rafa felt he would fall back into panic mode soon but Roger’s hand on his shoulder made it all bearable.

“I am fine,” he repeated, mumbling. It was very hard to remember the question.

Roger carefully pushed him to sit on the bench and Rafa was hit by millions thoughts again. This time they were Roger’s. Lord, Rafa could hear his thoughts! They were about worry and strange and feelings and worry and young and Rafa and beauty and... Wait! Beauty? Rafa didn’t have time to indulge in Roger’s mind longer because as fast as the thoughts rushed to him, they were gone. Oh, well, once they were bonded, Roger wouldn’t escape from him anymore.

“I haven’t even seen you around yet,” said Roger meanwhile. “Do you have to train so early everyday?”

Oh, training!

“I am here now so we meet, no?” Rafa said with a smile. He wanted to bounce in excitement but was afraid of scaring Roger off. Yes, the excitement and adventure factor definitely appeared.

“Yes. And we will meet in the final. Plenty of time to spend together,” Roger said, laughing at his stupid joke.

“You come from your match. You won today,” Rafa realized and announced it.

“Obviously,” Roger nodded. “If you are sure you are all right, would you mind me leaving? I’m in serious need of a shower and then the presser waits for me.”

Rafa thought Roger smelled awesome. What shower? Then he mentally kicked himself for it. “Sí, I go, too. Practice, Toni waiting,” he said. “Congratulation! See you around, Rogelio!”

He stood to gather his bag and walked beside Roger who caught his arm and turned him back. “Don’t disappear again! Just because we play the final we don’t have to avoid each other during the whole slam.” He sort of winked at Rafa and it melted his heart.

“Sí... no... I will not,” he babbled the words and after a last glance into those beautiful orbs, he left Roger to his own.

If Roger thought Rafa was handsome, then Rafa thought Roger was everything he liked in a man. He had always been smitten with Roger, since the first time they had met and faced each other across the net in a doubles match in Miami. Rafa had just not had any idea why he found this man so attractive and enthralling.

Now he knew. Oh, how much he knew! And how much they wouldn’t avoid each other any longer...

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

“Mate...” mumbles Roger, staring absently into thin air.

“Sí.” Rafa doesn’t say more; he is willing to give Roger time to apprehend what he heard. He hasn’t run away yet – it’s a positive sign.

“What about Mary and Mirka?” asks Roger finally.

A distinct feeling of sorrow instantly overmasters Rafa. “¡Lo siento mucho!” he says, his head hung, his voice restrained. “I... Mary is only friend of me. But I know you love Mirka. I no want to take you from her; I like her and respect much, no? But... you understand what Mate really mean, sí? I have no choice, Roger...”

“That is just horrible!” Roger shouts and jumps on his feet, starting to pace the room up and down. “How can you not have any chance to change things? How can you be okay with that and how does it happen that you are forced into such a situation?”

Rafa shakes his head. “Rog... This no bad for me, this is my destiny, it is natural.”

Roger stops and stares at him. “I know. I know, I understood! But... isn’t there anything we could do? I just can’t stand it being some upper hand’s decision. I thought I could make my own decisions in my own life.”

“I know. That is the world how you know it. Part of my world is different, no?” Rafa sighs and tries to stay very careful when he utters the next words. “We can do one thing. I can uhm... suprimir... eh, suppress the instinct in me and not do what I want. I have no choice but I can give you yours. If you decide not wanting me, I am fine with it.”

Roger is looking at him with wild eyes. He is upset, it is obvious. “You have just explained to me what kind of fate waits for you if your mate refuses you!”

“I will live, Roger,” counters Rafa.

“Miserably!”

“But...”

“And unhappily!”

Rafa is again opening his mouth to say it could be all right but his partner won’t have any of it; he stands there with one hand on his hip and the other firmly held up to mute the younger man. So Rafa obeys and they are wrapped in silence for a while. He cannot reach Roger’s thoughts at the moment but he is desperate to know something so he can’t wait anymore.

“Will you sit and answer me if I ask you?” he tries tentatively.

Roger sits down beside him without objection and Rafa goes on. “We talk about the... teoría...”

“Theory, yes,” Roger corrects him.

“Can you think of it happening?”

“About what exactly I’m supposed to think?”

“Be with me, Roger.”

There is a long silence again. Roger is looking at Rafa and Rafa bravely holds his gaze. Then Roger looks away, sighing, popping his elbows on his knees and combing fingers through his hair. He is the one who looks exhausted now.

“I know you like woman, Rog, and I am no willing to use not natural charm on you...”

“It is not unnatural, you said so!” chimes Roger in.

“Sí, but is unnatural for you.”

“No, Rafa... look... I accept you like this. You have to know I don’t think of you as some kind of... freak!”

Rafa nods, smiling. “Nice to know, thank you! But I say if you no see yourself with a man then this talk end here. It is not about man and woman for me but if you no imagine sex with a man, ever, then I have no right to change that.” He holds his ground strictly. He knows Roger was thinking about him as beautiful but that was only one occasion. It could definitely be a base of feelings that might possibly bloom later but he has to let Roger discover it for himself. Rafa doesn’t want to dig deeper than Roger can get; he only asks the proper questions to help him.

“Gosh, this is so fast... I can’t even... I’m not supposed to... I can’t wrap my mind around this whole thing yet and you are talking about sex! It must be very difficult to date a vampire!”

Laughter fills the room and shakes Rafa’s body. Roger is watching him in amusement,

then soon joins him, not that loudly though.

“You are such a kid,” says Roger. His voice is full of affection. “You know what? Let me just take a breather; this is too much for me in one go!”

“If you want,” nods Rafa, still chuckling.

“Uhm... so you were that rude to Lleyton because of this, right?”

“Sí. He touched you. I am sorry, Roger, I can no control it. You are mine... err... the vampire know it. He have no right to touch you. Nobody have.”

“You would attack everyone who is friendly with me?”

“No, no, no! It happen now. I recognize you as my Mate. If others touch you like that I can get a bit... mad. But when I got close enough to you, you calm me down, no? If we bond, it go away. The Bond is trust. Nobody can have you then, you belong to me. You give me The Calm. Life is just normal after bonding. You control me more than I control you. There is no stronger connection in the world.”

“So that is where you saying ‘have the calm’ came from?”

Rafa shrugs; he doesn’t really know, never having made a connection between the legend of The Calm and the mental state he says he likes to achieve on a tennis court. But Roger could be right. Rafa feels such delight for this man being his Chosen One. Roger is so laid back, so observant, one who knows what he wants and how to get it. At the same time he is playful, curious; always wanting to see more, to know more, craving new information and under that surface he is still a big, goofy child, pranking every single being who is naive enough to fall into his trap, and later claiming, with poker face, that he has no idea who it could have been, it hadn’t been him for sure. And people believe him!

Rafa can see it right in front of his eyes how life would be with Roger by his side.

“Sorry I scared you and Lleyton! I will apologize to him tomorrow,” he says softly.

“Yeah... Do I have to keep a certain distance from everybody else now?”

“You no have to do a thing, Rogelio!” Rafa reassures him.

“Except of deciding if I want this or not.”

“It come with time, no? I wait.”

Roger sighs. “Your attitude is unnerving. You should be this silly kid with that silly hair, not some super mature and supernatural creature!”

“What is wrong with my hair?” asks Rafa surprised.

“Oh, nothing!” Roger snickers. “Look, Raf! I will have to go soon but I don’t know if...”

“Sí. You can leave. I am OK. I no expect nothing today. But... you will be OK, sí?”

“I think so. I got much to think of.”

Rafa nods. “I sorry it happen in middle of the slam!”

“You didn’t choose your birthday, right?” says Roger, smiling sweetly at Rafa.

The younger man wants nothing more than to gather Roger in his arms and hug him tight and never release him. It’s not possible and he has to settle down with the certainty of Roger being aware of the situation and giving it thoughts. Rafa cannot rush him. Nevertheless...

“Before you go... Can we try something? It can help you, I think,” Rafa explains, searching Roger’s eyes for compliance or rejection.

The older one is fidgeting under Rafa’s piercing look and nods. Rafa can feel he is alarmed. Not wanting to frighten him off he opts for telling him what he is about to do.

“I will touch you...”

He waits for Roger to register his words and when he sees another tiny nod, he turns towards him. It doesn’t escape his notice that Roger instinctively mirrors his action. This makes Rafa’s head spin but he orders himself to stay still.

Roger is sitting frozen to the spot when Rafa lifts his right hand and lays it on his cheek. He blinks a few times, not wanting to lose his calmness, but soon his eyelids get heavy and close on their own will. He hears the sigh that breaks up from the younger man and then feels him leaning closer and closer until his breath hits Roger’s lips.

Roger’s eyes pop open then and it scares Rafa.

“Sorry... I did not... I no plan that,” he stutters.

Roger is overwhelmed by Rafa’s heat. He is oozing sex, Roger thinks and scolds himself for thinking it after. At this crazy moment he can’t deny he had always been attracted to Rafa. He has no idea whether this makes it more difficult or easier to deal with. Rafa is still touching him with his palm, though he had withdrawn his upper body. It feels peaceful. The hand is so tender like a feather on his skin. And Rafa is not confused, Roger can see that it the pair of eyes that are observing his reactions. This could be that calm he was talking about.

“You can’t help it,” Roger whispers then, “it’s okay.”

Rafa gifts him with the most beautiful and wide grin; Roger can see almost all the teeth on display. He wants to ask him about the fangs but suddenly he is pulled in an embrace, Rafa holding on him.

“¡Gracias!” he murmurs into Roger’s neck, rubbing his nose to it.

Roger is sure he should find this weird. Instead it feels right, so very right that it shakes him, making him shudder, and if he didn’t know Rafa wouldn’t jeopardize their relationship, he would believe he is using tricks on him.

He receives a last nuzzle before Rafa pulls back. When they look each other in the eye, Roger spies something different in Rafa.

“The eyes,” Rafa points at them. “Turning. No worry, nothing will happen! But is better you go now, Roger. Is harder than you can think of,” he admits, breathing faster. “Your smell... it make me crazy!”

“You said I could calm you down,” Roger tries, not looking away from the eyes that are beginning to show some red in them.

Rafa is laughing. “Only in one way. You are no ready for that. I hope you will be one day! Now, por favor... Go!”

“Will you be okay?”

“Sí, sí... listen to me and leave now!”

Forcing out coherent words seemingly causes pain to Rafa and Roger doesn’t want to make him suffer like this. He rises to his feet and while he is walking to the door, he wonders why it is so tiring to put one foot before the other.

He hears a weak voice, Rafa’s voice, saying, “I want you, Rogelio”, but when he is outside of the hotel room, he is not sure if Rafa said it out loud or only inside Roger’s head.

Sleep doesn’t come to Roger tonight. His mind keeps replaying the pictures from the afternoon when this madness had started for him...

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

He was having some hitting with Lleyton Hewitt at a practice court when they saw Rafa and his team arriving at the neighbouring one and starting to warm up. He lamented on how odd it was that he never saw Rafa this week until the day before yesterday, when they finally ran into each other in the locker room. It was highly unusual; they met often at every tournament they both competed at and always stopped to chat, and Rafa had promised him he wouldn’t fly under the radar anymore. But since then nothing happened; the amount of their meetings remained zero. He chased these thoughts away, not giving them much importance. Surely there were no problems between them; he couldn’t recall any. Rafa was acting a bit weird the last time but they had parted friendly. It must be put down to their different schedules.

Lleyton was in his element, joking around, chattering away in uplifted spirit. It caught up with Roger, too, and they were laughing and bantering and joyfully slapping each other in the shoulders when one said something particularly funny. Roger was leaning on Lleyton, almost dying from giggling when in his peripheral view he noticed a figure storming towards them.

He had only a few seconds to recognize Rafa and to see pure rage in his normally friendly eyes before the Spaniard reached them and, grabbing Rusty’s arm, he yanked him up from the bench and with that momentum pushed him onto the ground.

Hewitt hadn’t even had time to protest or ask what the Hell Rafa was doing, or simply to react equally violently and either kick him in the shin or jump up and punch him in the face. Rafa was already holding Roger’s wrist in an iron grip and spitting out a raw ‘You come with me!’, dragging the Swiss in the buildings’ direction.

They had almost left the court when Roger woke up from his haze and, leaning back with all his weight, he was digging his heels in the ground stubbornly and forced Rafa to stop.

“What do you think you are doing?” he asked. His own restrained voice surprised both of them.

Rafa was still standing with his back to Roger, the hold on his wrist never loosened. He was breathing hard, Roger thought he was hyperventilating.

“Just... follow... please!” he asked, not exactly politely, more like he was suffering from trying to be articulate.

“NO!” Roger shouted. “What the fuck, Rafa? What’s wrong with you? I don’t go anywhere unless you tell me what your problem is! NOW!”

The Spaniard turned then, slowly, and looked Roger in the eye. Roger tried to show a furious expression but when he watched Rafa’s eyes soften and his posture become more relaxed, he couldn’t find the anger in himself to maintain it.

“What is this about, Raf? You can’t just violate your mates like that! I don’t understand.”

A bitter laugh was the answer and Roger thought something had been terribly off. Yet, Rafa’s gaze on him was so gentle now and the squeeze on Roger’s hand reduced.

“I sorry, no?” he said and there was the well-known Rafa standing in front of Roger again, hanging his head sheepishly. “I lose my mind... I only want... I need talk to you.”

Roger couldn’t believe it. “Sure! And you came and threw Rusty on the ground and kidnapped me... There is more to it, Rafa, and I would appreciate it if you stopped lying!”

“Sí, you are right. I must stop lying to you, Rogelio,” said the younger man. He seemed totally composed again. “I ask you favour, sí? I need to meet you when it is good time for you. ¡Por favor! I need to explain something.”

His eyes were pleading and Roger knew it must be crucial to say yes to him.

“Well... all right. I still have a training to do but we can meet at the hotel later.”

“You come find me in my room when you finish, sí? I wait,” Rafa said and a tiny smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

Roger nodded and sighed. “I very much hope this wasn’t some trick to take my mind off the game!”

“I would no do that!” Rafa exclaimed flabbergasted.

His face showed such horror that Roger couldn’t hold his giggles back. “Funny guy,” he said dotingly. “Look, I have to go but I will see you later! And I hope you will have some very good explanation for this shit!”

Rafa nodded solemnly and, letting Roger’s hand go at long last, he stood there, watching the Swiss walk back to his team.

Roger’s wrist was tingling throughout his practice.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

He is tossing and turning in bed, thoughts and questions racing in his head. It’s very late, he should be sleeping soundly but instead of dreams, Rafa is filling his mind. Rafa, at the first time they met. Rafa, when he beat him in Miami two years ago. Rafa, winning the French Open last year. Rafa, being shy. Smiling. Laughing. Then acting withdrawn, sitting in his secluded corner in the locker room here in Paris. Rafa, almost fainting days ago when he realized he had just met his Mate. His fierce look when he found Lleyton a bit too touchy-feely. Rafa, peace in his gaze when he could put his hands on Roger...

What should he do? How can this happen to him? And what was that silly conversation with Mirka when he came back to his room?

Mirka instantly saw there was something wrong and Roger could never lie to her. He simply told her it was about Rafa. Mirka was staring at him, studying his face –Roger hoped it was blank enough to hide behind it –, then she said she had always felt there was some inexplicable connection between Rafa and him.

Was there? Has he always known? Is this the reason why he had always been drawn to Rafa since the beginning?

Roger doesn’t know the answers. Only Rafa knows them. They had such a short time to discuss it and Roger knows one thing, if any: that was only the tip of the iceberg.

He utters a wounded groan for the walls to hear. Mirka is not with him; she decided to sleep in the adjacent bedroom that they requested for Roger, in case of needing absolute tranquillity before an important match. He would need that silence now but no lonely sleeping could grant it.

He wonders if Rafa can sleep at all. And before he notices, his hand reaches out for the mobile phone and quick fingers dial the number.

Rafa picks up after one ring. He isn’t sleeping either. “Roger,” he says instead of a greeting. “I sorry you can no sleep! Is my fault.”

“It’s okay. You are awake, too. We are egal,” Roger comforts him and unexpected stillness falls onto him when he hears Rafa’s snorting laugh. “But you do sleep, ja? I mean, at night...”

“Sí. I am normal. I am no dead, no afraid of cross... crucifijo, no?... or garlic, have nothing to do with mirrors and I no have a single coffin in my life.”

“Crucifix, yes.” Roger bursts out in laughing suddenly. “It’s reassuring to know I shouldn’t sleep in a coffin!”

“Roger, you will not be a vampire.”

“Oh, yes,” says Roger softly, the reality of it hitting him again.

“Something else?”

“Hmm. You can use your abilities all the time?”

“No. Happens only when I get hungry. When I am human, I can use it only on my Mate, after bonding, rarely before.”

Roger is silent now.

Rafa is chuckling. “Is not that bad, no?”

“It depends! It could change things.”

“Change what? Rog, the Bond no allow me to use it against my Mate. And I would no use it anyway. I tell you, it is base on trust. And you can use it as much. Sort of.”

Roger sighs and sinks deeper under his blankets. Rafa’s voice is calming. “It’s a terrible cliché, but all this would be so fantastic if it wasn’t about me. As an outsider, I would be spell-bound to know about it. I would be honoured, you know.”

“But?”

“But... I have a life, Rafa. What do I do about it? I’m supposed to leave the woman I love. I wanted children, you know...”

“Sí, I understand. You bring up children, so no tell me I go too fast... I want children, too. There is adopting, no? Before you freak out, I no think this is most important now. Roger, it no go in one day. You give time to it!”

“But how much time I have?”

“Take years if you want!”

Roger gasps. “What are you talking about?”

“I say if you no want to give the life with Mirka up, stay with her, no? You can marry her, have baby. I no want to take that away from you. If I have you ten years later or twenty, it is good.”

“You would sacrifice yourself for me.”

“I would give everything to my Mate.”

“You are crazy!”

Rafa laughs. “No, you still no get it, Rogelio! I am a vampire, sí? I do everything for my Mate. This way it is slower because I said I no use charm on you. I give you a choice. But I believe it will happen one day. Until I believe it, it is easier. If you say no, that will be hard. But if you say yes, all the wait will worth it! Always you will take care of me and I take care of you. You give me The Calm and help me and I love you for it.”

“Do you... you love me?”

“You are my Mate, Rogelio. Always I loved you.”

There would be dead silence on Roger’s end of the line if he wasn’t breathing so hard.

“Too much, I know,” Rafa mumbles.

“Rafa... I... I really want to run away but please, don’t let me! My rational mind tells me this is nonsense, this isn’t even happening! You have to understand that! But there is this stupid little pull I feel and if I am brutally honest with myself and you, I have to admit I have always felt it. I have always felt something for you. That apparently happened for a reason and now I know why. And this is something I have no hold over. It seems so inevitable in so many ways...”

“Rogi!”

“Yes?”

“Take breath!”

And Roger does. Fresh air fills his lungs and makes his head spin. He begins to giggle and it soon turns into hysterical laughter. Rafa is patiently waiting for him to cool down.

“Is OK, Rogelio,” he whispers, “we figure it out!”

Roger’s last laugh changes into sobbing. He is collapsing under the pressure.

“Open the door for me, Rogi!” says Rafa in the phone.

Roger is crying earnestly now and his brain doesn’t function anymore. He has no idea what Rafa means until there is a sharp knock on the glass of the balcony door. It scares him enough to abruptly quit weeping. He gets up, goes to the door and opens it.

“How?”

“No matter,” Rafa says and pulls him to his chest, wrapping arms around him.

Roger’s scent is killing him, almost breaking his promise of not doing anything to him, but he pushes his own needs back. Seeing Roger like this, so puzzled and defeated by the difficulties, is breaking his heart and it is more than enough to deal with.

He is leading Roger to the bed and tenderly pushes him in. When he makes a move to leave, Roger clenches both of his hands on Rafa’s and there is panic in his eyes.

“I only close the door,” says Rafa, and indeed, he steps back to the bed before Roger could do as much as blink. He sits beside his Mate and embraces him again. “I sorry I put you through this!”

“You can jump on balconies,” Roger states dumbly.

Rafa giggles. “Sí. I can do many things for you.”

“What else?”

“Hmm. I can pinch a point on you and you would go sleep that moment.”

Roger finally smiles. “Very useful. Maybe you should do it now. I am useless, I sure can’t take more in today.”

The younger man sighs. “I can no do it now. I have to find the point.”

“Okay. Then what else can you do?”

“I can sense your mood and will read your mind if you accept me.”

Roger sits up. “How is that fair? You would beat me every time!”

Rafa laughs. “No, I told you, I no use it like that. And I am learn to read your game without tricks,” he shrugs, very confidently, like it was obvious he would succeed.

“Oh and how is it going?” Roger giggles.

“I beat you before, no? Go fine.”

“Ach, attacking my backhand and waiting for my mistake is not reading my game, you dolt,” Roger says, shaking his head.

“What is dolt?”

“Dolt is you, Rafael,” Roger replies and flicks Rafa’s nose. “It’s a silly person. Once I will check it for you in Spanish so you can get it. Which reminds me; I have always wondered how on Earth I understand your Spanglish that well!”

“Sí, it is weird, no?”

“Everything leads back to mating,” Roger announces and Rafa thinks, a bit of humour breaks through the bitterness.

He settles back to the headboard and makes Roger go with him. “Now you sleep!” he demands.

Roger’s eyelids are suddenly heavy; his head rests on the pillow beside Rafa’s. “Can you stay?” he asks.

“If you want,” Rafa confirms.

“At least until I fall asleep, please!”

The Swiss doesn’t even wait for the answer; he is in deep slumber before Rafa can open his mouth.


	3. Something Clicked

The night turns to dawn, the dawn turns to morning and Mirka finds them together in bed. Rafa has never seen Roger as upset as he is when his girlfriend says she would like to get an explanation of this. Rafa knows it can get out of hand if he doesn’t act fast and with great concern.

Mirka, this beautiful, strong woman is sitting here, facing them, not giving away any sign of the turmoil that is surely taking place in her mind. And they, Rafa and Roger, probably look like frightened deer in the spotlight. Yes, Roger certainly does. Rafa reaches out to touch the back of his hand and he feels endless pleasure because Roger doesn’t pull away. Rafa smiles then, knowing what to do. He begins to tell his story once more, this time to Mirka.

He knows he can’t play it safe, he has to share it how he did with Roger; his future depends on it. Their future.

Mirka listens carefully, asking something here and there; the questions are short and to the point. Rafa is fascinated by her – then again, he had always been.

Somewhere in the middle of it, particularly when he is talking about how he had recognized Roger as his Mate, Roger’s mind suddenly grants him access and Rafa has difficulties to stay calm and not delve into it, to stay strictly in his own. The thoughts he is catching are very encouraging; something major had changed during the night they spent together. Rafa cannot wait to investigate it, but he has to concentrate on Mirka right now.

He knows they have limited time and he has to be precise so Mirka can understand. It is crucial. It was easier to confide in Roger, obviously. They had always communicated at different levels with each other, yet they never had problems about being clear, verbally or non-verbally, it didn’t matter.

Rafa is pleased when he finishes talking. Now if only Mirka says something finally! Her staring at Roger, then Rafa, then Roger again, makes Roger so uptight. If there has to be drama coming then be it, the sooner, the better!

But Mirka doesn’t make a scene. Moisture is detectable in her eyes but she is not crying, she only takes a few deep breaths that end in tiny sobs.

“I have always known we wouldn’t live happily ever after,” she says, looking directly at Roger.

Roger gapes at her. “That is not so simple!” he replies vehemently.

Mirka lets out a shaky laugh. “Keep telling that to yourself, Rogi! Who are you kidding here?”

“It is no decided,” says Rafa softly.

“He has decided it,” states Mirka; her eyes not leaving Roger. “Haven’t you?”

“I...”

“Besides, I don’t believe you guys can pretend you can change your destiny,” she adds. “That was particularly naive of you. And oh, for God’s sake, Rogi, just say something now!”

“You are right!” comes the very confident statement. Roger has finally gained his voice back.

Mirka huffs. “Of course I am right!” she says impatiently but her tone swifts to gentle when she addresses Roger again. “You know, I have always thought you would do big things. Some really awesome adventures were waiting for you... There was more than had met the eye. Why do you think I had endured you with that ghastly hairdo you had when we got together? I just didn’t think it could be this huge... Wow! I like vampire books, I think I’m going to reread some...”

“Mirka!” Roger cuts in, embarrassed, and Rafa is laughing.

“What? I am having a girly moment, deal with it!” she says, then stands and steps to Rafa. “One day we have to have a coffee because I have more questions than you can imagine. I guess, it’s not this simple and there will be more talks, but... take care of him for me, too, Rafa!”

Rafa nods. He feels awkward when Mirka all of a sudden pulls him up from the bed into an embrace, and releases him just as quickly.

She turns to Roger and takes his face in her palms. “You... you stop fighting it. You never had a chance, Rogi, it will become obvious to you later. I would never allow you to let it slip away because you would never be happy again. And I don’t let that happen!”

She softly kisses Roger on the lips. Rafa hisses; he didn’t expect it. Roger flinches when he hears the reaction and Mirka, pulling back, thinks she was more right than she had thought; nothing could come between these two men.

“Boys, see you later!”

They are staring after her walking out of the room.

“She is always like this?” Rafa breaks the silence.

“Worse.”

“When you say she was right...”

“Yeah, I think so.”

Rafa, standing in front of the sitting Roger, slips his fingers in his locks and pulls his head to his belly. Roger lets him; he presses his face in Rafa’s soft t-shirt and breathes him in.

“What do we do now?” he asks in muffled voice.

“We wait. Until you ready to take the next step.”

Roger lifts his face to look at Rafa. “What is the next step?”

“I not know,” Rafa shrugs. “Always the one you take, no?”

“I want more time...”

“We have all the time, Rogelio.”

“No, I mean, we are so busy...”

“It no matter, it will fall in place, no?”

Roger sighs. “I know so little and yet I feel I know enough. This is maddening.”

“We are no in hurry, Roger, no worry about that! You no have to do a thing until you are sure.”

“But that’s it; I am sure, suddenly I was sure while you were speaking with Mirka. Something clicked.”

Rafa smiles widely. “Oh, I see! That is why I hear your thoughts. You let me in.”

“Is that even normal? You said it would work only after bonding.”

“Hmm, sí. It means the Bond will be very strong,” says Rafa proudly.

Roger feels his excitement vibrating. “So you know perfectly how I want this,” he mumbles.

“Now I do,” Rafa confirms it. “Look, it is late and I did no sleep in my room. They will not know where I am...”

Roger stands, automatically reaching for Rafa’s hand meanwhile. They are walking to the door.

“I will see you later, right?” Roger asks while he is hugging the younger man.

Rafa mutters ‘yes’ into his neck and before his senses can get overloaded, he tears himself apart from Roger and opens the door.

“Wait!” calls Roger after him. “Rafa, I...” he cuts off.

He is staring at this crazy young boy, this kid from the sunny island of Mallorca, drinking in the sight. Rafa’s appearance is unkempt; his long dark hair is a mess, there are one too many wrinkles in his t-shirt and the sweatpants are hanging low at his hips... too low, actually!

“You might want to... Oh, just come here!” Roger pulls him back by his arms and puts his clothes back in order, smoothening the shirt down on the way. Finally he combs his fingers through Rafa’s hair, thinking how ridiculously absurd he looks, but oh so unsettlingly beautiful.

Watching Roger’s face concentrating, Rafa chuckles to cover how much he is disturbed by his touch. “I really have to go, Rogelio,” he says and Roger knows exactly why.

With hands still in his partner’s hair, Roger makes the announcement. “I accept you, Rafael Nadal, as my Mate!”

He didn’t plan it; it just felt the right thing to say.

Rafa’s eyes widen and in less than a second there are red lines in it. He is breathing uneven and is barely able to think straight, yet he grins sweetly and throws himself in Roger’s neck and kisses him on the lips. It’s only a peck; Rafa shows extreme willpower to let his Mate go, and he steps out of the room.

“I text you, Rog!” he says and, as someone who needs to escape or his life would be at risk, darts through the corridor, bouncing at every second step.

He slows down at the stairs – he is staying two floors below Roger’s suite –, and before he runs down, he types a message.

**‘It was next step, no? Say it loud. I will show u how much it mean 2 me!!!!!!!! When I can see u & no want 2 jump u!!! ;)’**

He is giggling to himself and he thinks it’s never a debate anymore whether to send Roger such a silly text or not. He is already in his bathroom, ready to take a shower, when a rush of joyful laughter enters his mind. Roger has read the text and liked it.

Rafa is the most happiest man in the world.

Later that day he wins his French Open semi-final and Roger wins his own, as well...

Rafa shows up on the balcony again at night. It’s an arranged date, yet Roger is surprised; partly because of the vampire’s skills, but mostly he is just captivated by the peace that he is sinking in whenever Rafa is close.

They are standing in Roger’s room, awkwardly measuring each other, keeping the two meters distance.

Roger is more bothered; Rafa’s unconcealed staring makes him itch. He wants the end of it so he is searching for a safe topic to speak about.

“We do play the final,” he mumbles.

Rafa’s grin lights the whole room up. “Sí! Is fantastico!”

“I should have let you hung a bit longer and not telling you anything about accepting! Then you wouldn’t have been so confident of your game and had lost today and I could win this thing. It’s not fair you showed up when I am in my prime and still haven’t won the French!” Roger is huffing but Rafa is still only staring at him intently. “Not that it’s so important... considering the...”

“Sí,” Rafa nods.

“Could you stop that ogling?” asks Roger. “Can we sit?”

Rafa is giggling now. “You stop be so careful, Roger! Understand it finally that I no will jump on you and harm you. Unless you want it. And you no have to ask my permission.”

“This is very, very odd,” Roger admits with a sigh while Rafa is stepping past him and drops down on his bed, flashing a shy smile at him.

“I know,” he says.

Roger takes seat beside him. “I’m happy you can’t do such magic on court! Or you can but in that case, please, keep it secret, I don’t wanna know!”

Rafa shakes his head. “Just told you again, I can not. I can charm people for food when I am hungry. I use the power for good. I mean only when it matter, like now, coming to you faster. I can never hurt you. I can no even lie to you because it is a form of hurting, no? Mates can no do such things.”

This little morsel of information sends Roger into deep thinking. “Clever rule, I like it!” he says. “Look, I still don’t know much about all this...”

“¡No, por favor!” cuts Rafa in. “Before you ask more, I ask something, sí?” He reaches for Roger’s hand when the other man nods, vaguely being reminded of the word ‘obeying’.

Does he do everything Rafa asks for? Does he do it blindly or his brain knows Rafa wants only the best for him? He decides it really requires further investigation but right now he is more interested in what Rafa has to say.

“What is it?” he questions him.

His Mate is playing with his fingers and looking into Roger’s face but apparently not even seeing him. His breathing is picking up speed again and Roger now knows what that means. He does not know what he should do against it yet.

He feels slightly uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gaze but when his fidgeting helps to snap Rafa out of it, the weird feeling is gone.

“Sorry, I... it is a first to me, too, no?” Rafa clears his throat and laughs nervously.

“Tell me about it!” says Roger, rolling his eyes. “Shouldn’t I sit a bit further...?”

“No!” Rafa interrupts him louder than necessary. “No,” he repeats softly. “Now tell me what happened, Roger! Something changed at night, no?”

A pair of widened-in-panic eyes looks back at Rafa. “Do I have to?”

“Sí,” says the younger one, smiling.

Roger sighs. “Couldn’t you just read my mind? I’m not sure I can talk about such things to you.”

Rafa makes a funny face; he is noticeably deep in thoughts. “I can try,” he says finally. “No sure it will work but we have big chance if you help.”

Increasing embarrassment can be seen in Roger’s facial expressions and gestures but he nods, indicating that he is willing to cooperate.

“What am I supposed to do?” he asks.

“Get comfy,” Rafa says, “and you have to think of what happened. Bring it to the surface, no?”

Grunting, Roger is sliding back on the bed, to lean against the headboard.

“It won’t be less disturbing this way, I guess,” he complains.

Rafa is smiling on; Roger thinks he looks mischievous.

Memories of their phone calls fill his mind; there was one when he told Rafa what more Mirka had to say about the progressing relationship between them. And then, another one, in the little gap they had between their semi-finals, that was more about Rafa saying silly, lovely things. This latter made Roger so thrown off that he could barely live through his match and there was a point when he believed he would lose it. He probably just got lucky because he played poorly but his opponent had to retire due to injury. He had to admit that the determination had nothing to do with it, despite of how much he wished to meet Rafa in the final.

“Roger...” Rafa’s soft and patient voice wakes him from his reverie. “We going to do it?”

The vampire’s Mate looks at him and grabs his hand, pulling it to his chest. “Yes, let’s do it! Be nice, okay?”

Rafa grins and gets comfortable beside Roger, sitting Indian style.

They don’t need much time to connect; Roger opens up for Rafa, presenting his mind to him without hesitation, and Rafa eagerly sucks all the information in...

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Roger was dreaming.

In the dream he felt Rafa’s hand sliding on his body, from his chest up to his neck, slipping into his hair; the fingers playing with a curly lock at his nape. It was a very pleasant sensation, making Roger smile contently.

He automatically turned into the touches. It felt so realistic and when he cuddled the muscled but pliant body, it became actually too realistic!

Then Roger opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times.

He was facing a sleeping, gently smiling Rafael Nadal.

This was not a dream!

His heart started to race.

What should he do? To move or not to move? He didn’t want to wake the other man; he was afraid he couldn’t have dealt with the situation. But in the end he plucked up the courage and pulled back to take a better look at Rafa.

This was his Mate. A vampire.

Roger didn’t have doubts; in any other case he would have given way to stay sceptical. But this was Rafa. The Rafa who was able to jump on balconies, showing up out of thin air. Who dared to come onto Lleyton Hewitt when he felt the Australian had acted too touchy with Roger. The guy, who came to him, explained it with such care and tenderness, telling Roger about his life, putting the events into perspective and showing up immediately when he felt it had caught up with Roger and begun to destroy his realistic and conscious mind.

Roger asked him to stay and Rafa fell asleep there.

If Roger had understood correctly only the half of what Rafa had shared with him then this must mean the world to the vampire; to be allowed to stay so close to his Mate.

If Roger believed it had felt realistic as a dream, then it was absolutely real at that moment.

Rafael was a vampire and Roger was destined to be his Mate. Nothing more, nothing less.

Roger was staring at the boy’s peaceful features. Just a boy, yes. So young, seemingly so innocent. But Roger knew now how far from the truth that was. All in all though, as a young human being – having vampire experiences or not – Rafa was only a kid.

Roger found it fascinating that this boy had bowed to his fate so thoroughly. He, Roger, had no idea how he would have reacted if one day he had been told he was a vampire, and then years later he had realized his mate was a guy, and even more, he was a colleague and rival of him. While the Swiss admired Rafa for the acceptance he showed, and he himself believed he could have dealt with this latter part of the problem, Roger hadn’t dared to examine the other half of it. Namely that Rafa was a male. Roger didn’t exactly know how a mating happened but he was frankly sure it contained sex.

This led him back to the current position they were in and the itching he felt to touch Rafa. He was frightened of what could happen if the young man had woken up but the pull was stronger. So he lifted his hand and slipped a finger over Rafa’s nose. Why the nose, he didn’t know. He had always found it charming when the Spaniard wrinkled his nose. Exactly how he did it now. Roger’s touch irritated his senses; a mild grimace gave it away. But then his features smoothened again and Rafa smiled while his head turned to face Roger.

Roger didn’t dare to move until Rafa was breathing even again. Then he laid his palm onto the other’s cheek and his fingers slid behind his ear. Rafa let out a small moan and the sound sent Roger’s groin to heat up. He was frozen for a long while, trying to will the swelling sensation to stop, but the more he wanted it go, the harder his cock got. When Rafa cuddled even closer in his dream, pushing his thigh into Roger, the older man couldn’t resist the urge to rub himself on it. His head fell in the crook of Rafa’s neck and he grunted. His nostrils filled with the vampire’s scent and Roger wanted to lick him. _‘Where did that come from?’_ he thought feverishly and tore his face away from Rafa.

Breathing hard, still pushed tightly to the muscled limb, Roger was lost.

Mirka was right; he could have never fought this. The desire to connect to this Spanish boy was demanding, torturing and brand new to Roger. It was one thing to find Rafa handsome and it was completely another league what he was feeling now.

Carefully pulling his hand away, Roger peeled himself out of Rafa’s embrace and climbing out of the bed, he escaped to the bathroom. He was sitting there on the edge of the jacuzzi, pressing the heel of his hand on his erection. He was set on fire and felt annihilated by the sudden occurrence of this. He, who had never... not with a man... ever. There wasn’t any other explanation than destiny indeed. Destiny was the word that calmed him down in the end and carved itself deeply in Roger’s mind.

Rafa was the one who he wanted. He ached for him, more than he had ever yearned for anybody else; including Mirka. And that recognition sealed the deal once and for all.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Roger doesn’t think he has more to show and Rafa respects that, exiting his mind at the very moment when he feels Roger would like to shut it down.

“You break my fingers,” Rafa says, warning the older man to lessen the squeeze on his hand.

During the process, Roger was holding the hand and the grip on it tightened with every second of remembering. Now he lets Rafa go and opens his eyes.

“Sorry,” he mumbles. “But it worked, right?”

“Sí, perfecto,” says Rafa. He feels ecstatic inside and wants nothing more than to throw himself at Roger and have his naughty but oh so delicious way with him. Fortunately, as his rationality wants to slow it down, there are questions emerging. “You think you want me as Rafa, too? I mean...”

“I know what you mean,” Roger says. “Yes. I believe being your Mate opened my eyes to it. I don’t know if I had ever discovered it without fate helping but if I think back, there had been attraction between us before, too.”

Rafa nods. “I liked you the first time. I did no have to know you are my Mate to like you.”

Rafa is mumbling in a shy manner, thinking how weird but right it is to have this neat conversation between them. It’s so calm, rational, as if they were exchanging thoughts on how to change wheels on a car. It is nice to be able to discuss some things before all Hell breaks loose.

Roger lifts up to lean on his elbows, never letting Rafa’s face out of his sight. He licks his lips quickly and Rafa’s look stays fixed on the place where the tongue darted out and disappeared, leaving the silky skin wet.

Roger knows what’s coming and he is worried. “Look, I am sure but I am not confident about this. Is that clear?”

“Sí. You want it but not know how to go about it, no?”

The Swiss blinks. He wants to answer but the words are frozen in his throat because Rafa is slowly climbing over him, throwing one leg at the other side of his body and leaning close.

“Confidence come with practice, no? Is no different of kissing a girl,” Rafa murmurs.

He is surprised he doesn’t need to call out for all his self-restraint to hold him back from devouring Roger. This is clearly not the vampire acting now; this is him, Rafael, without mystical guidance.

He is balancing himself on the bed above Roger, carefully not crowding him, and bends his head. He sees Roger’s eyes closing before his own lids slide shut, as well, and he presses a smiling kiss on the older man’s lips. When he pulls back a bit, the lips part and Roger licks them again. Rafa kisses him once more, catching the tongue with his teeth playfully and nipping on it until Roger pulls it back. Then Rafa goes after it with his own, thrusting in the other’s mouth.

Roger groans and his elbows give up; they slip to the sides, and Roger falls back on the bed. Rafa follows him, never stopping the kiss, pushing his tongue even deeper inside. Roger loses track of time – one minute could have passed, or ten, or a day; he doesn’t know. When Rafa releases him after a last gentle suck on his lower lip, he opens his eyes to glinting ones staring back at him.

They are both heaving and Rafa wants to giggle at the weird expression on Roger’s face. He looks like he is on crack, mumbling something incoherent.

“How it was?” Rafa asks.

Roger waits for long before he replies; he needs that much time to form a proper sentence. “You were wrong! It’s different from everything I have felt before.”

“Good different or bad different?”

“Very good different,” Roger whispers and wanting to support his statement, he lifts his hips to push his forming hardness to Rafa’s, sending the other man’s brain to black out and his body to act on its own and falling down on Roger.

They can’t tell their moans apart and it doesn’t even matter when their lips and tongues and clattering teeth meet in a new kiss; fingers are sliding into hair, then Rafa’s hand is cupping Roger’s throat and both of Roger’s are gripping Rafa’s arse to pull him down. Their cocks are touching through the fabric of their pants, rubbing together, shocking both men, shaking their joining bodies.

Rafa swears in Mallorquín and Roger mutters in Swiss German.

“Wait!” Roger says in English finally and hearing the common language makes Rafa stop. “Are we going to...?”

Rafa shakes his head. “No, no before bonding.”

“Shit!” It’s all Roger can utter, much to Rafa’s amusement.

“We can do many things,” the Spaniard breathes into Roger’s neck.

“Yes... yes...” Roger mumbles, frantically pulling on the younger man’s clothes. He is craving to see Rafa and craving to touch him.

Rafa vaguely thinks if it’s this intense when it has not much to do with his vampireness, what could happen to them during the ritual of Bonding? The anticipation almost sends him over the edge and as he doesn’t want to come without Roger’s hands on him, he yanks his sweatpants and briefs down, grabs the hand of his Mate and circles his fingers around his cock.

Roger whimpers. This is the very first time he is holding another man in his hand like this. He would give it a solemn thought if Rafa didn’t begin to move his and Roger’s hand on his cock and groan obscenely loud by the sensation.

Roger wants to look but Rafa leans down and kisses him again, and then leaving the older man’s hand move on his own, he reaches into Roger’s pants and wraps him in his hot palm. It’s a tender touch, yet Roger shudders and comes in Rafa’s hand – his body arches and goes rigid and a long moan is breaking up from his throat.

Rafa stares at him. He is sure he had never seen anything this perfect in his life and the joy of having this beautiful man as his Mate fills his entire being, pushing him into ecstasy.

They fall asleep in a heap of long, tangled limbs, experiencing never known euphoria.


	4. Official & Strictly Confidential Statements

They wake up together, shower together, and have breakfast together the next morning, as it was the most natural thing in the world. Rafa knows it is. What surprises him a bit is that Roger thinks the same; his Mate had accepted him and the life he will live by Rafa’s side from now on. Roger doesn’t seem to look back; it’s decided, the debate is over.

“I have tons of questions but no answers could change this back. And we have a lifetime to cover them,” Roger says, munching on the last morsels of his croissant.

Rafa feels Roger has just grabbed the wheel in his hands. He doesn’t mind; Roger is better at what they are about to do. Rafa has directed his own life fine so far, thank you very much! But this is different now; they have to face their families, fellow players and of all people, the international media. And face them practically all at once. Rafa is shitting his pants about that much more than he was afraid of talking to Roger the first time, or talking to Mirka, for that matter.

He is sitting beside Roger when he presses the button to send hundreds of e-mails out to the informational highway. They are intended to carry the official announcement of Roger’s separation from Mirka and of Roger and Rafa being together, asking for confidentiality until it hits the press. A huge part of the mails are sent to their tennis player mates and a smaller amount – in Swiss German, French, Mallorquín or Spanish – to the closest friends. Even though the more personal letters were written in a lighter tone, the process still seems entirely too dry and final, Rafa thinks. And Roger is staring at the monitor, looking absent and sad, thinking the same. It breaks Rafa’s heart all over again.

“Is not what we should do before a slam final,” he says, his voice is being wary.

Being snapped out of his trance, Roger looks at him and smiles. “Trust me, I’m more afraid than you and find it too fast but we cannot avoid it. They have to be informed before we come out for the journalists in the afternoon,” he says, sighing.

Rafa nods. “But what if they hate us?”

“There will be some who do, I’m sure,” Roger says. “We can’t do anything about that.”

“I afraid, no? Of attacks. Not only in words,” Rafa admits.

“I don’t think any of them would try to get violent but if so, then you are the vampire, you can break them in half, can’t you?” Roger is chuckling now and it makes Rafa to burst out laughing.

The laptop utters dinging sounds then and numerous replies begin to show up in Roger’s inbox. At the same time Roger’s phone starts to buzz, as well as Rafa’s.

“Brace yourself!” says Roger and opens the first e-mail.

 

From: **Marat** [marat.safin@msofficial.ru](mailto:marat.safin@msofficial.ru)

To: **Roger** [rogerfederer@rf.com](mailto:rogerfederer@rf.com)

Date: 10 June 2006, 8:19

Subject: Re: Official & strictly confidential statement

 

Roger!

Thank you for informing me you like blokes a bit too late, when you are already taken! I hope you feel the sarcasm but anyway I wish you all the best and if there is any problem with any of the guys on Tour, call me – you know my hands reach far! ;-)

Good luck with press, hahahahaha...

Marat

 

Roger is giggling hard; he considers himself lucky that he opened Marat’s mail first. Although he sounds like the Russian Mafia again, it’s really a very positive reaction he gave. So in a somewhat uplifted spirit, it’s easier to go on to read the next ones.

 

From: **A-Rod** [andyroddick@ar.com](mailto:andyroddick@ar.com)

To: **Roger** [rogerfederer@rf.com](mailto:rogerfederer@rf.com)

Date: 10 June 2006, 8:20

Subject: Re: Official & strictly confidential statement

 

Oy, what the fucking fuck, dude???? Have you ever checked me out in the showers???? For the love of God, Nadal is not even of age to drink a beer in the US! He’s a fucking jailbait, dude! But whatever suits you. One day you have to tell me when the fuck this happened!! And how do you plan to finally beat him at FO after you fucked him? ;-P

Andy

 

From: **Rusty** [leyley@lleytonandbechewitt.com](mailto:leyley@lleytonandbechewitt.com)

To: **Roger** [rogerfederer@rf.com](mailto:rogerfederer@rf.com)

Date: 10 June 2006, 8:21

Subject: Re: Official & strictly confidential statement

 

Hey Mate,

Can’t you not be in the news for a week, you sick bastard?

Rus

PS: No worries, I’ve got your back! Tell Rafa now I completely understand his behaviour! ;-) He could’ve just said he’d got the hots for you!

 

From: **Reto** [reto.staubli@privatmail.ch](mailto:reto.staubli@privatmail.ch)

To: **Roger** [rogerfederer@rf.com](mailto:rogerfederer@rf.com)

Date: 10 June 2006, 8:20

Subject: Re: Meine lieben Freunde!

 

Rog,

Does this mean that Mirka is single and I can have a go at her? Nah, I’m joking! But hey, now that you are that cosy with Rafa, can you ask him to introduce me to that gorgeous lady we saw with his team once? I think her name is Esther, do you remember?

Joke aside, Rog, you know I trust you and your decisions but what on Earth, man? How did this happen and when? Isn’t this a bit too fast? Or that soft spot you had always had for Rafa has finally caught up with you? I assume you have a very obvious reason to do this.

Thank you for the warning about sitting down before reading your mail! Always the considerate Roger.

You know it’s not over! I will need a proper explanation for this madness!

Until then, I’m behind you, like always.

Reto

PS: I hope his family won’t murder you in a bloody manner! Boy, do they seem dangerous!

 

Rafa is looking up from text messaging his Spanish friends when he hears Roger’s snorting laughter. The older man is rolling on the bed, wiping tiny beads of wetness from his eyes.

“¿Qué?” he asks carefully, though the sight of his joyful Mate makes him cheery, too.

“Just... my best friend...” he says, still choking on sudden breaths. “Listen!” And he is translating Reto’s Swiss German mail to Rafa.

“He sort of found out, no?” Rafa says in a serious voice but soon he is grinning, as well.

“It’s hilarious. The whole situation is,” adds Roger amused.

“You can choose tell him the truth, Rogi,” Rafa states and Roger is taken aback by two things: the complete trust from Rafa and the use of his nickname. He likes it much rolling off Rafa’s tongue and his thoughts wander back to the previous night and he admits to himself that there was never much chance to live his normal life on since Rafa had touched him in an intimate way. Mirka was right again. This reminds him of the tasks they have to do yet.

“All right, let’s leave the mails and texts for now!” he says to Rafa. “Let’s do the next round! Our families are going to be here in a bit.”

Rafa’s posture gets tense at that. If he thought he had been afraid of the other players’ reactions, he is scared shitless of what Roger’s parents will say to them face to face. His hands are shaking until Roger catches them in his and gives them a loving squeeze.

“Calm down,” he whispers, intently staring into Rafa’s eyes.

“Sí,” Rafa says with a sigh, “Sí... is OK.”

Soon they learn it is not that horrible as they had expected. Rafa previously told his Papá and Mamá that he had found his Mate in Roger and Sebastian took the liberty of contacting Roger’s parents and giving them an insight to the Nadal Clan’s history. He claimed it wasn’t exactly an easy conversation but the Federers took it with interest, even though they seemingly remained a bit sceptical. What Sebastian couldn’t know was that after his encounter with Robert and Lynette Federer, Mirka also admitted to them that they had broken up with Roger and the reason was Rafael Nadal and what they had heard from Señor Nadal was indeed the truth.

Oddly enough, the only person at the arranged meeting who still doesn’t have any idea is Uncle Toni. He is gaping at the young couple, reminding Rafa much of the freshly caught fish on his boating trips.

“Did you not think you should have informed me, Rafel?” he asks in Mallorquín and his cool tone makes Roger shift uncomfortably at Rafa’s side.

Rafa only stares Toni down for causing his Mate distress. “Now I am informing you, Tío. You don’t have to use that tone and glare at Roger. You know it is sealed and there is nothing you can change by being hostile! I know you are thinking of my career now and of how this will influence me but this is not about tennis, this is about living the rest of my life happily.”

Toni’s eyes soften when he hears the last words and he withdraws. “A really strange development of your life, mi hijo,” he says and one last time strictly measures Roger, sweeping his look all over him, stopping at his face in the end. Then he nods, not speaking anymore.

Lynette and Robert are acting graceful and reserved, much like the laid back Roger who Rafa has always liked so much. Lynette asks quiet and intelligent questions while Robert is only listening carefully, being noticeably keen on taking in whatever answers Rafa has to give. And Rafa talks again, making the dominant position swift back to him as fast as it had been put on Roger’s shoulders before. Roger admires his Mate more and more by every ticking minute. Once he even has a disturbingly erotic thought of him when Rafa gestures wildly, trying to explain something in English to the Federers, but the vampire looks at him suddenly and scolds him muted. Roger ducks his head and everyone notices his reddening cheeks.

“This went better than I expected,” says Roger when everyone is gone and they are only the two of them again.

“I dunno. I no think your Mamá like me now,” Rafa sighs.

Roger comes to him and pushes him back to the wall beside the windows. Their bodies are flushed together from head to toes. “It’s going to be okay once they see you are good to me,” he murmurs and presses his forehead to Rafa’s.

Rafa stares into his eyes from this close; he had never seen such a beautiful, warm shade of brown. “I am good to you?” he asks self-confidently.

“Didn’t you say you would carry me on your palm forever?”

Roger giggles but Rafa’s face becomes dead serious and a grunted ‘Roger’ breaks up from his throat.

“What bad did I...?” Roger tries to ask when Rafa grabs him and switching their positions, backs the Swiss up to the wall, their fronts slamming into each other.

Roger’s head hits the wall with a loud thud and he moans when Rafa rubs on him.

“This is crazy...” he whispers.

“Shh, let me touch!”

And Roger lets him. Rafa is pulling up his t-shirt and combs his fingers through the curly hair on his torso and Roger is arching into his touch, bending his head back even more, with eyes closed. He doesn’t know what he is doing only when Rafa abruptly tears himself away. Then Roger looks at him under heavy lids and he gasps.

Rafa’s arm is trapped under the t-shirt and his hand sneaked up through the V-neck, his palm is glued to Roger’s skin, the thumb is drawing tiny circles on his jugular vein. His eye colour is completely changed; it’s shiny silver, and he cannot take them off of Roger’s neck.

His Mate doesn’t dare to breathe and when Rafa notices, it snaps him out of his staring state. Then he looks Roger in the eye and the older man sucks some air in suddenly. This is his very first encounter with the vampire full of his glory; ebony-like skin, radiating silver orbs and... fangs. Roger knows there have to be fangs now.

“Show me!” he asks softly.

Rafa shakes his head, not daring to open his mouth, being afraid of losing it.

“Please!” Roger begs him. “You can do whatever you want just let me see! Didn’t I take everything well? I am such a good Mate, aren’t I?

His voice is much like purring and Rafa’s defence cracks and he smiles. The action is leaving the grown teeth on display and though Roger’s sense of humour has made Rafa calmer, his instinct to drill the fangs into his Mate’s neck is coming back to him in strong waves when he sees Roger’s bewildered but clearly fascinated facial expression.

“I want to bite you,” he says but they both know he won’t.

So Roger lets the statement slip, even though it sends thrills to his brain and makes his cock throb in his pants. He is observing the vampire for long and the time seems to be stopped around them. He has only one wish; it’s so urgent and demanding that it makes him dizzy. He wants to kiss Rafa, to lick his small, pointy fangs.

“No!” Rafa warns him. “I have to leave now.”

He pulls his hand back and steps away from Roger. With a couple of strides he is at the balcony door and out of it before his Mate could blink.

Roger knows where he is going to; he needs food and needs it as soon as possible. It hurts that it can’t be from him yet. He sinks to the floor and finally lets out that breath he was holding since he had been allowed to take a look at the vampire’s fangs.

His hand is sliding down to take himself in his palm; he is painfully hard, craving Rafa’s touch like never before. His own wouldn’t help him anymore.

He bangs his head into the wall behind him and curses in three languages.

 

The next time they see each other in the locker room where Roger is ready for his practice. Rafa doesn’t need to really look around to check if they are alone; the space is usually deserted at this time of the tournament. So he can sneak close to his Mate, or more like just show up right behind him as a surprise, flicking Roger’s ear.

His Mate yelps, jumps and turns with one palm is being pressed tightly over his rapidly beating heart.

“Don’t ever do that again!”

“Sorry,” Rafa says, chuckling. “And sorry to leave you like that!” he adds more seriously.

“I guess it will happen more times until we bond, so never mind!” Roger shrugs. “I see you are safe now.”

“Safe?” asks Rafa and his lips lift into a smirk. He is stepping into Roger’s personal space with a seductive expression on his face. “I am safe?” he repeats and backs the other man up to the lockers.

Roger looks like a caged animal and Rafa senses the fear that runs through his body in a shudder. Rafa’s intense stare softens then and he gives his Mate more room.

“You are not hungry anymore, I mean,” Roger mumbles, finding it hard to form coherent words.

Rafa doesn’t try to enter his partner’s mind; everything is written in Roger’s wide eyes.

“No hungry for food, sí,” he says slowly. “But always I am hungry for you. Always I want to bite you.”

Roger hisses. “Who was it?” he asks softly.

Rafa understands he is talking about the latest prey. His young face falls and he steps back. “You no have to know that.”

“Was it a player?” Roger pushes harder. He can’t help it; curiosity is slowly eating him inside.

“NOT YOUR CONCERN!” Rafa snaps. A furious stare warns his Mate not to investigate on but when he sees Roger’s discomfort, he sighs and adds, “No, no player.” He is blushing and not looking at Roger anymore. His pinkie flies to his mouth and he begins to chew on the skin around the nail.

Nervous habit, Roger knows it well. What a sudden change of demeanour!

He reaches out to pull Rafa’s hand free. “Don’t! Look, I see it’s disturbing to you if I ask about such things but we have to be clear! I let you in, Rafa, so you need to do the same, and not only partly. I want you to know I am interested in everything concerning you and I don’t think low of you just because you go around and suck people’s blood.”

Hearing this, the vampire glances into Roger’s eyes and his other hand, as if acting on its own, lifts up to his lips, and teeth bite into the flesh of his other pinkie. Roger rolls his eyes and takes his other hand, too, without slipping up in his speech.

“If you didn’t, we wouldn’t be here now and I still wouldn’t know how much you really mean to me. When I said I accepted you, I meant it, you know! It wasn’t an empty phrase. You’d better let that sink deep in that complicated brain of yours!”

Rafa nods shyly. “It was just a woman,” he says.

“Oh,” Roger exclaims as if he hadn’t expected such an answer.

“I no had sex with her,” Rafa replies the question that floats to the surface in Roger’s mind. “I get aroused, sí, but I no think I will want sex with others now.”

Roger briefly closes his eyes at that revelation. He pulls Rafa’s body to his and they embrace, holding on.

“I get aroused by you saying ‘aroused’... This is no place for discussions of this matter,” he mutters while Rafa is tracing the side of his neck with cool lips.

Roger lets himself bask in the exquisite feeling for a while but he pushes Rafa’s body to arm length soon. “In exchange for your honesty I promise I will try harder to accept that you are not going to hurt me, all right?” he says.

Rafa nods again. “We build trust, Roger. I told you it no go in one day. After bonding you will no feel the urge to run no more.”

“If that puts you more at ease, I’m more afraid of what damage you can do to me on a tennis court than having those fangs sunk into my neck.”

“¿Qué...?” tries Rafa but Roger is not having any of it.

“Yes, this chat is over, any further questions can wait! Now, are you up to practice with your so-called rival?”

Rafa’s face lights up and all the serious, life altering thoughts are quickly evaporating from his head. “Always, sí!” he says enthusiastically, beaming at the other man as one who doesn’t believe he got this lucky.

“Good. Get ready, I’m going to be outside,” Roger orders him and with a wink he picks his equipment up and leaves Rafa to his own.

Hitting together causes whispering among the journalists and photographers who are being present courtside.

When there is a break and they sit to have a drink, Rafa hears suspicious murmurs from the stands nearby but he doesn’t understand half of it and of course he wouldn’t use his supernatural skills on them. He cocks his head to one side and looks at Roger who is standing across the net and grinning madly; Rafa feels his Mate can also hear the people talking but he couldn’t care less about it.

Roger only shrugs and after he puts his water bottle down, he walks back on court.

“What, are you going to violate time even now?” he asks Rafa with a playful glint in his eyes.

Rafa grunts and jogs to his respective side. He is ready to continue when a very clear thought from Roger enters his mind.

_‘How much speculation do you think we are raising now?’_

Rafa randomly bursts out in giggles and Roger is smiling at him, Rafa thinks, besotted.

_‘It’s awesome you can hear me!’_ Roger thinks, concentrating on every word forming in his head so Rafa can surely understand him. _‘Too bad I can’t!’_

The vampire is chuckling on and smacks a serve to his Mate’s side.

After the practice, while they are walking towards the locker room, a journalist stops them, asking if it is not a bit unusual to train with the opponent who they play in the final tomorrow.

Rafa is taken aback, gasping at the man, but Roger smiles and says it’s rather natural for them, given they had always been friendly and helped each other out when late in the tournaments no one else was around the site.

He is nonchalant, beautifully undisturbed and splendid, Rafa thinks, and he is not concerned about their upcoming press conference anymore. He knows they are going to present big news and the media will launch themselves at them but it’s going to become outdated in three days and in due course die down. Or so he hopes.


	5. Anticipación

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to say thank you again to all who is following this story, to all kudos and comments you gave me!  
> This is the second to last chapter. Hope you will enjoy and tell me what you think of it! xxx

Three weeks later when their French Open final (won by Rafa) and the media frenzy over their private relationship (which took two whole weeks for the world to register, analyze and eventually digest) are only memories for them, they are lying on the bed in their rented house in Wimbledon; Rafa’s back is to Roger’s chest and the Swiss is cradling his partner in his arms.

“Final after final,” Roger muses, while he is smoothing over Rafa’s arms lazily, up and down and up again.

Rafa turns his head to beam up at him. “Sí, I want to play all finals with you!”

“As long as I beat you, I have no problem with that,” Roger says.

Rafa snickers. “You no beat me in French!”

“Oh, well, yes. But I have heavy excuses! Come on, I was confused, bothered, I have just got to know I had been destined to a vampire! Wait, I also had no idea vampires actually existed! I realized I was kind of gay for said vampire! What else? I had to leave the woman I was living with. Meanwhile I was discovering I was about to fall for this vampire of mine...”

“Fall for?” asks Rafa, staring at Roger’s face, wrinkling his forehead in confusion.

“Fall in love, yes.”

“You no say this to me before,” Rafa mumbles and Roger can see his ears are turning bright red.

“Maybe because I’m still falling every minute and I can’t see the bottom of it? It’s not very easy to sort my feelings out being this caught up in the whirlwind of events, you know. But you are someone to amaze. Someone to be loved deeply, madly. You deserve that and I believe I’m managing to live up to it. Slowly, firmly. If you can call four weeks slow.”

Rafa turns and climbs in Roger’s lap to face him. “You say you love me?”

“If I say I love you, will you lose it again?” asks Roger, eyes rapidly flickering, sweeping over Rafa’s face to find any sign of changing.

Rafa seems mostly confused. “Lose it?”

“Yeah, anytime something emotionally significant comes up, you get hungry, I noticed,” Roger explains.

“Oh. I did no think of it like that,” Rafa admits.

Roger smiles. “You are a little unstable creature... speaking of which, your Dad talked to me and made it clear it would be very desirable to undergo the mating process as soon as possible, for your sake. I figure it has everything to do with said stability but you keep saying we have as much time to adjust as I need. So care to enlighten me about the truth, Rafael?”

Anger flicks through Rafa’s young face for a moment but he controls himself. “Is no Papá’s business! Sí, is better if we bond soon. You said it, I am not stable like this. But I offered you time and I keep myself to it. You are _my_ Mate, this is _my_ life. Nobody can have a say in it, no?”

Roger reaches behind Rafa’s neck, pulling him closer and playing with the long hair to calm him down. When he speaks, he does it slowly and softly.

“Yes, you gave me time. Yes, I needed time. But that was the beginning. Since then so much have happened and I see clearer, I am more confident and the falling in love part makes it very obvious, don’t you think? There is no going back for me, I don’t need it either. I am your Mate and the bonding will eventually happen. And I don’t want to see you suffer any longer. I don’t want you to tear yourself apart from me every time the things get more heated between us! I don’t want you to leave and search for another prey! I want it to be me as many times as I am matching your needs. And I want to make love to you finally!”

Rafa closes his eyes at this last exclaim and an animalistic growl escapes from his throat. He is on verge of throwing himself onto Roger; his nostrils shake with the strong smell of his Mate’s scent and he can hear the blood thrumming in his veins.

Roger keeps his head close and whispers in his ear. “See, you could just bite me like this! Anytime, anywhere. I want you to! I want everything that comes with it! Now, please, try to be calm and stay with me because this time I won’t let you go before we have a final agreement on this!”

Rafa has to summon all his will to fight the vampire down in him and gain the human presence back. His harsh breathing almost overruns his voice when finally he talks.

“I am here,” he murmurs into Roger’s skin. “I am OK.” And he lifts his head from the crook of the other man’s neck and, slowly opening his eyes, looks at Roger again.

“Hey you,” Roger greets him, intently watching Rafa’s orbs and seeing only warm brown there. He wants to ask him if he can kiss him but Rafa hears the thought before Roger could open his mouth and leans in to press his lips to Roger’s.

Instead of taking the Spaniard back to his wanton and rapidly getting dangerous self, the action leaves him completely still, savouring the skilled touches of his Mate. Roger is mastering playing his body as an artist plays an instrument, Rafa thinks and he chuckles into the kiss.

“You getting hang of it, no?” he says. He is definitely composed again.

“Which one? Calming you or kissing?”

“Both?” offers Rafa and they laugh until he gets serious once more. “After final you come with me to Mallorca, sí? We have the ceremonies and you be mine forever.”

Roger nods. “And you mine.”

“If that is no too soon for you,” Rafa adds, still wanting to leave an escape way to Roger.

“No, no more stalling!” The Swiss says earnestly. “After tomorrow’s final we have four weeks until the Canada Masters so we can take two weeks off for...”

“¿Luna de miel?” cuts Rafa in.

Roger creases his forehead in deep thinking. “Moon... you mean honeymoon?” he laughs and Rafa shrugs, puzzled. “Well, to adjust and rest, sort of...” goes Roger on. “Who knows in what condition the Bonding will leave us?”

“¡Está bien, Rogelio! But... err... to be clear about it... First time _I_ make love to _you_ , no?” says Rafa, blushing from head to toe.

Roger only gives him a tender smile. “That’s as good as it gets, too.” And he solemnly lifts Rafa’s hand to kiss it.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

“Rog, I need you to read this,” says Rafa on the eve of the Bonding Ceremony and he passes a sheet of rich-looking paper to his Mate.

Roger has just been out of the bathroom after taking a shower and brushing his teeth. He sits down on the edge of the bed, Rafa’s bed in Rafa’s house, and Rafa thinks, this man with his wet hair and designer pyjamas had always belonged here. His heart swells at the happy recognition and also by anticipation when he as a hawk is watching Roger to take a proper look at the paper.

“Is this...?” the older man asks and Rafa notices his slightly shaking hands.

“Sí, Mary helped translate the original vow and I like you to see and say if you want to add something,” Rafa explains, sounding positively sheepish.

Roger is reading it now, paying particular attention and when he is through, he takes a long look at Rafa’s apprehensive face with a blank expression on his own.

“If...” starts Rafa but Roger cuts in, lifting a hand and muting the vampire.

Then his eyes are scanning the text once more, making Rafa more nervous by the minute. When Roger looks up again, his Mate is chewing on his nail bed.

“Stop!” Roger commands and Rafa obeys. “Wow...” sighs the Swiss then.

“Is too much, sí? If it is, we can change it! Or write a new vow! It is OK, we can do it how you want because it is most _importante_ to meet the Mates’ will, every will, no? Just say what it is you not like and...” Rafa speed talks and at this point he switches to Mallorquín accidentally.

“I don’t understand,” Roger stops him. “But... come here, please!” He holds his hand out for Rafa to take and pulls him down onto the bed.

Rafa mumbles sorry and Roger can clearly read his fear from his eyes and devastated body language.

“If you let me gather my mind a bit before you assume something bad, I would have already told you I find this really beautiful.”

Rafa’s eyes fly to meet Roger’s. “Sí?”

Roger nods. “It’s much like a wedding vow, though. I’m surprised at that, even if you had joked about a honeymoon.”

“Is nothing like wedding, Roger. What we do is much more than wedding. When you say in wedding vow that until death, it is only a phrase, no? Sure they think it will last till they die but if not, then they leave, no?”

“But we don’t leave, right? Because we can’t,” Roger adds, signalling that he understood it.

“I not know about bonded Mates who left. Something very bad have to happen, like your Mate killing your family or similar, no? I no think that kind of things will happen with us,” Rafa says.

Roger makes a horrified face but then begins to chuckle. “I very much hope so! But you say theoretically we are allowed to leave?”

“Sí. But living apart is painful after Bonding. See, it is in the vow, I wanted it there because we need to be sure we will no die when we go to different places and be alone for some time. It is very important to put rules that reflect your own life. The Bond have to adjust. It is magic, nobody really understand but it is how it go.”

Roger sighs. “I feel such a rookie. What if something goes wrong?”

“Nothing go wrong, Rogi, trust me! That is why we need to have a vow that fit, no? It is why I want you know it before and fix it in case. But the magic in me will also feel your energy and wishes and desires and it will create the Bond in the most fitting way. So it is crucial to free your mind and stand there with open heart and without fear. To let the magic read you. Then everything is OK.”

“Scary stuff,” Roger mutters.

“If you think you still need more time we can...” Rafa offers.

“No,” cuts Roger in. “No, it’s all right. I’m all right! We are doing this.” he nods confidently. “What am I going to feel of it?”

“Everything. You feel my magic, you feel the pull, you feel when we connect. Is not easy to explain in words,” Rafa says and after short thinking he decides a little demonstration won’t hurt and to have a bit of insight beforehand might calm Roger down.

Roger catches this thought clearly. His head spins with it. “Whoa!” he whispers. “That’s intense!”

Rafa knows what has happened. “See? The magic know us. When the time is closer, you can feel it more too. Every time your will get stronger, the magic detect it and more and more lines form and all will meet and tie together at the ceremony. It is growing from first day.”

“So what is it you want to show me?” asks Roger impatiently. He looks very much as a kid on Christmas Eve.

“Sí, come kneel on the bed with me!”

Roger goes with eager interest and when they are kneeling and facing one another, Rafa says, “This what will happen tomorrow... lift your hands like this!” and he holds up his, palms turned toward his Mate. Roger mirrors the action.

“Sí, now touch your palms to mine...”

Roger does as he was told, curiously examining how their hands match. When he finally looks Rafa in the eye, the air in the room suddenly changes. Invisible forces reach out and embrace them, making them shake with the intensity of their spirits melding.

“We should no go on,” Rafa says.

“Just a bit more,” comes the pleading whisper from Roger.

Rafa nods, his eyes never leaving Roger’s. “Link your fingers with mine!”

From this moment it’s a heady, moving ride on an emotional roller-coaster for Roger. Rafa’s mind is touching him, it grants access for his own while heartbeats meet heartbeats and the two motors of life begin working to the same rhythm. They are intertwined, wrapped in each other’s auras that are shifting, forming, craving to become one. Rafa breaks the contact then.

“You will say the vow after me at this point and when it is done, we will be joint,” Rafa explains while he is pulling Roger with him to find a good relaxing position in the bed.

“This is energizing, man! I think I found the new coffee!” Roger says, not wanting to rest at all. He seems high. “I saw your _feelings_!” he claims in a more serious tone. “I felt you. Your love for me... is so pure. I don’t think humans know that bare love. I mean, yeah, we think we know it for some time but then we get to know the partner’s annoying habits and there will be times when we can’t stand them. You radiated only acceptance and adoration and longevity. Forever was written all over it. It seems so simple.”

“Because it is simple,” Rafa says. “You now see how it is for a creature like me. But no say you humans can no feel this because I saw how you feel for me, Roger! You should not be afraid of admit it now.”

Roger suddenly finds the duvet very, very interesting. Anything but to look at Rafa. “I just wanted to keep it to myself a bit longer. I wanted to say it when I’m ready,” he mumbles.

Rafa reaches under his Mate’s jaw and slowly lifts his head to face him. “Estás listo, Rogelio. You ready.”

“I know. I just... listen, I know it’s silly but saying it means much to me...”

“Sí.”

“Stop reading my mind!”

Rafa smiles. “I am not. I know it because you make a fuss,” he says whilst caressing Roger’s cheek with his knuckles.

His Mate is staring into his eyes intently. “You are impossible. And I love you.”

Rafa’s reply is the widest, most charming grin Roger has ever got. He lifts up and straddles the vampire, leaning close and still not breaking eye contact. “I’m in love with you, Rafa Nadal,” he says earnestly. “I’m going to kiss you now, and then do my own magic on you...” he giggles, “and you’d better not get your vampy pants in a twist because I don’t want you to leave me alone tonight! Is that clear, bloodsucker?”

Rafa pretends indignation. “You say tomorrow is like our wedding and bride and groom can no even see each other before it! And you want sleep with me?” he counters.

“Oh, no, no, you said it was no wedding at all, so cut the bullshit! Even if, I am for sure no bride of yours! Or do I feel like a bride?” Roger asks mischievously and he grinds his hips down on Rafa.

The younger man moans but then he pushes Roger off. “¡No, por favor! I no want to do anything tonight.”

Roger stares. “But... I thought we can.”

“Sí, we can. I only say it is nice to wait. Tomorrow will be intense,” Rafa says.

“Hearing that just makes me more turned on, you know!” Roger complains. He is obviously disappointed. “Would you like to sleep apart then? If so, you only have to ask! It’s okay with me,” he offers reluctantly.

Rafa shakes his head. “No, I never want to be apart from you. I just want to... to let anticipación build, no?”

“Aww, look at you, Señor Romántico!” Roger mocks him but his face shows admiration. “All right, but if I’m a bouncing ball of nerves tomorrow, it’s all your fault!” says Roger and he is nestling himself in bed beside Rafa. “Bad Mate, not giving me what I want,” he mutters, making Rafa chuckle.

 

He wakes suddenly and it is morning and he is alone in bed but before he could miss his partner, Rafa walks in the room and climbs back under the blanket.

“Bon día!” he says and presses a smiley kiss on Roger’s lips.

“Back at you. Do you know how beautiful and glowing you look in the rays of the morning sun?” Roger asks playfully in an almost purring tone. “What a sight to start this remarkable day! But why are you so calm? Come on, get excited with me, this is going to be the biggest day of our lives!” he jumps up and bounces on the bed, looking like a four-year-old who was promised to go to the ZOO with Daddy in the morning but hasn’t understood morning didn’t mean 6 am, yet, and Daddy was not supposed to be woken by his hyperactive child.

Rafa’s eyes darken; he finds Roger irresistible at this moment.

“Uh-oh, acting silly does it for you?” Roger asks, giggling. “I could seduce you if I wanted, you know!”

The flirting manner indeed does Rafa wonders but he is on a mission and will not relent.

“You can and you no have to act in any way, no? But I am busy, Roger,” he says and reaches out to take the sheet with the vow on. “I memorize this.”

Roger forgets about flirting. “Should I, as well?”

“No, you have to trust me with guiding you through the ceremony,” Rafa replies.

“But isn’t it hard for you because of the English? That’s not an easy text.”

Rafa smiles knowingly. “I can use my skills to learn it word by word.”

“Oh, that’s... OH!” Roger never ceases to express his surprise. “Can you learn things easier?”

Rafa nods.

“Why don’t you just use it for... I don’t know... learn English properly?”

“I no want to. I never want to have that kind of advantage on others so I learn things in normal way,” Rafa explains.

Disbelief mixed with appreciation flickers through the Swiss’ face. “You are too nice, Rafael. You could use your extra power to be better on court. You could use skills to excel in practically anything you choose. And yet, you don’t.”

Rafa blushes. “It would be evil.”

Roger shakes his head, amazed. “You could use it for good. To be a scientist or explorer or teacher.”

“Sí. But I choose tennis. I want to be good in that. As a human.”

“You are already very good at that,” Roger says, grinning.

Rafa examines his face; this open, always interested and engaged expression he had grown to worship. Roger means it, he knows. But that is not enough.

“I want to be best,” he mumbles finally while his skin turns even deeper crimson. “I want to be best in fair game.”

Roger stares back at his Mate for long, then leans in and kisses him softly. “That day, I think, I will be happy for you,” he says. “If it has to happen, if I have to lose my position, then I want it to be to you. But,” and he straightens his spine, “I’m very comfortable up here so it’s going to be a Hell of a race, Niño!” He winks at Rafa who bursts out in spontaneous laughter that shakes him for minutes.

Roger enjoys the sight. “And anyway, Spanglish is part of your charm so don’t ever lose it!” he adds.


	6. Roman Candles Lit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys,  
> this is the final chapter, also a bit longer, to finish off this vampy business.  
> I hope you enjoy and come to give feedback to me - that would be highly appreciated!  
> Never hesitate to express your thoughts and thank you in advance!  
> Ada xxx

“Reto was a bit overwhelmed, you know,” Roger says to Rafa whilst he is tucking the other’s hair behind his ears and checking his outfit.

They are both wearing loose, white button-up shirts and linen pants in ivory colour. The light pastel shades enhance Roger’s tan and dark hair but Rafa’s skin – considering his current state – looks almost translucent.

He was changing slowly this time, first only his skin getting lighter, then his orbs’ gentle brown mixing with red, turning into silver, followed by the small pointy fangs showing. He had to keep Roger close all day to calm him which was ironic, as it was Roger and the anticipation of the Bonding with him that had called out for the vampire in the first instance.

“I no mean to scare him,” Rafa apologetically mutters.

“Yes, but when you sniffed him and said his scent was true and honest I thought he was going to faint,” chuckles Roger. “Then he was set when Esther appeared and I think love is in the air around those two.”

“Sí, that is awesome, no?” Rafa is beaming at him.

The sight makes Roger’s head spinning. “ _You_ are awesome. And gorgeous. And I’m so grateful and lucky,” he murmurs. “Thank you for finding me!”

Rafa blushes and doesn’t comment, only asks, “Ready?”

The answer is a confident nod.

Roman candles are lit in a circle in the sand of Rafa’s backyard at the shore; mild wind from the sea plays with their flames, calling for them to dance. A small group of people stand around it, forming a bigger circle – Rafa and Roger’s family and closest friends; the only people who know what is going on. The trusted ones, how Roger named them.

They step into the candle circle, walking to its middle, and everyone is getting silent – nothing but the few tree tickled by the breeze and birds flying and waves hitting the shore make noises.

As the Sun is slowly sinking into the sea at the horizon, the people gathered around them are taking their neighbours’ hands, enclosing the couple who now are facing one another.

Rafa takes a few deep breaths before he lifts his hands to hold them out for Roger, palms turned toward him. His voice is stern and clear when he speaks, eyes capturing Roger’s.

“At the setting of the Sun and the rising of the stars, I, Rafael, touch you, Roger, palm to palm...”

Roger swallows nervously but at the tiny smile of Rafa he nudges closer so their bare toes are brushing together.

“At the setting of the Sun and the rising of the stars, I, Roger, touch you, Rafael, palm to palm,” he repeats the words as well as the action, lightly pressing his hands to Rafa’s.

Warmth instantly begins to spread through him; the heat of the vampire.

“I open my mind and soul to you, freely and willingly to join you, without reservation remaining...”

“I open my mind and soul to you, freely and willingly to join you, without reservation remaining...”

“... and so Magic shall surface and recognize us.”

“... and so Magic shall surface and recognize us.”

Invisible sparkles bite into Roger’s skin, crawling up and down on his spine, making all the hair stand in attention.

“I interlace us finger to finger, flesh to flesh, bone to bone...” Rafa continues and links his digits to his Mate’s.

“I interlace us finger to finger, flesh to flesh, bone to bone.”

The Magic flares when Roger’s fingers are laced with Rafa’s, surrounding and taking Roger so strongly that he is nearly knocked off his feet; Rafa has to hold him up and allow a few seconds for adjusting.

“I am a heart and a spirit whose path and destiny are entwined with yours...”

“I am a heart and a spirit whose path and destiny are entwined with yours.”

“I offer this heart and spirit to you, to tie them to yours...”

“I offer this heart and spirit to you, to tie them to yours.”

Magical bonds are reaching out to envelop the two bodies and souls, connecting the hearts and minds together.

“I grant you access to my inner self and accept you do so...” Rafa goes earnestly on despite of burning inside because it is so painfully beautiful and he can feel each and every tie getting knotted between them at this critical stage when there is no going back any longer and Roger is becoming a part of him for good.

“I grant you access to my inner self and accept you do so,” says his partner whilst experiencing Rafa’s whole being melting into his own, and he is afraid of ending up in a liquid puddle that is going to be sucked up by the sand, but at the same time he is happy and he knows he had never been this happy in his entire life.

“I welcome awareness of your thoughts and emotions and needs, to anticipate and to fulfil them...” Rafa chants and the first thought of Roger’s that attacks his mind is _pure joy_.

“I welcome awareness of your thoughts and emotions and needs, to anticipate and to fulfil them.”

And this is it; the Magic that nobody can understand or explain swallows them now, sets them on fire and burns them alive to braze them so when they emerge, they emerge as linked at all levels.

Then everything calms and settles; minds stop to spin, hearts quit racing, spirits are licking one another contently – there is deafening silence when Rafa raises his voice once again.

“As unifying Magic bind us spirit to spirit so that no earthly power may destroy our Bond...”

“As unifying Magic bind us spirit to spirit so that no earthly power may destroy our Bond...”

“I take you as my Mate...” says Rafa, smiling.

“I take you as my Mate,” repeats Roger with a matching grin.

“... to love and cherish you, to respect and honour you, to protect and support you, to encourage and calm you, to satiate your hunger and to appease your thirst...” and Rafa winks at this point and his fangs are glowing in the flickering candle light.

“To love and cherish you, to respect and honour you, to protect and support you, to encourage and calm you, to satiate your hunger and to appease your thirst...”

“... to endure separation and to celebrate reunion, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in triumph and disaster from this day forward until death do us part.”

“... to endure separation and to celebrate reunion, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in triumph and disaster from this day forward until death do us part.”

“Our vows have been witnessed by our beloved and trusted ones.”

“Our vows have been witnessed by our beloved and trusted ones.”

Rafa sucks fresh air in deeply now and blows it out very slowly. He had not been this much at peace since his coming of age.

“As I embrace you and kiss you with deep devotion, be it the sign of my commitment to our Bond and the seal on our sacred union...”

Desire runs through Roger at these words and with that momentum it reaches Rafa, as well, and they writhe in unison.

“As I embrace you and kiss you with deep devotion, be it the sign of my commitment to our Bond and the seal on our sacred union,” Roger repeats.

He doesn’t know what is coming and is surprised when Rafa signals to release his tightly held fingers, then takes Roger’s hands loosely in his and slides his palms up on the other man’s arm, from wrists to rest them on shoulders. Roger follows, doing the same, and they are pressed together from toe to forehead.

Rafa kisses his Mate at long last and they merge into one another. Both men moan and it is hard to stop but throat-clearing and soft chuckles bring them back to the company of their folks.

Rafa lets Roger’s lips go, looks him in the eye once more, and announces aloud:

“We are joint in oneness.”

His Mate is staring back at him, seemingly forgetting about everything but Rafa.

_‘Rog... repeat!’_ Rafa sends a mental warning to him.

_‘Oh shit,’_ thinks Roger, making Rafa snort inside his head. _‘What was it?’_

_‘We are joint in oneness.’_

Roger, keeping the eye contact, finally repeats it. _‘We are joint in oneness.’_

Rafa can’t help it, he giggles. _‘Loud, Roger. Say it out loud!’_

_‘Oh, I’m so sorry! I’m ruining it...’_

_‘No. Just say it, no worry!’_

Roger braces himself and, for everyone to hear, he declares:

“We are joint in oneness.”

Random applaud erupts from the circle and their families and friends are jumping over the candles to join them at the center and pull them in embraces, pat them on backs or kiss them on cheeks and offer the warmest of congratulations.

Roger is out of Rafa’s cosy hug but the vampire clutches on his hand, not letting the others tear them apart. Roger shivers and in the blur of faces he keeps smiling and nodding but his mind takes him to turn inside and examine the brand new sensations. His body feels full of energy but his brain is exhausted. Arousal courses through his mind but physically he is calm. And there are coming and going morsels of random thoughts from Rafa until some of them form into full sentences in his head.

_‘Let it go! Is a mess but it settle later.’_

Rafa encouragingly smiles at him.

_‘Very messy! I think I’m going to be sick.’_

_‘My grandma fainted so you doing good, Rogi!’_

_‘Kind of funny but I’m serious here!’_

Understanding flashes in Rafa’s eyes now and his hold tightens on Roger’s hand. He looks around apologetically, finding his mother and father’s gazes and when they realize what’s going on and nod, Rafa pulls Roger out of the circle, leading him back to the house, not stopping until they reach his bedroom. There he sits Roger down on the edge of the bed, gently holding on and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Breathe! It will be OK. I know is scary now!”

“Can we do something?” Roger asks with hung head and muttered words.

Rafa stands and brings a glass of water for his Mate. “Drink!”

He is staring down on Roger and the older man doesn’t take his eyes off of him either. He almost chokes on the water but after several gulps manages to say, “You are beautiful!”

Rafa gifts him with a shy smile. “Feel better?”

“No.”

Rafa laughs. “I sorry! The ritual will be complete only when I have the first taste of your blood...”

Roger’s eyes flash hopefully. “Then do it!”

“But... we need to—”

“—make love, yes!”

“And the feast—”

“—can wait, nee?”

“Sí but I wanted—”

“—to seduce me and all, I appreciate it but—”

“—you are no feeling well!”

“It’s fine, the queasiness is gone. So if it’s no problem to be late from the feast...”

“No. Is no problemo,” Rafa says and the decision is finally made in his mind, Roger can clearly feel it and it makes his blood boil and colours his cheeks scarlet.

“You sure? Because I ask you only once and no stop if you say yes.”

Rafa knows the answer is yes – he wants to hear it from Roger nonetheless. His Mate leans in and kisses his lips.

“Yes,” he whispers, and goes for the next kiss, flicking the vampire’s fangs with his tongue whilst waiting for him to kiss back.

First Rafa does not because the Bond does shock him flaring up once again. He just shudders; he is left violently shaken while his Roger seems quite the impatient one, continuously licking his lips with eager enthusiasm. Rafa is desperately wishing for his vampire instincts kicking in full gear but they feel like waiting for something. He does not know what.

He shakes his head, accidentally bumping his nose into Roger’s. “Lo siento!” he mutters.

“Is something wrong?” Roger asks, looking strictly in his eyes.

“No. No, I… not wanna scare you, no?” Rafa is fishing for the right words to express himself.

“I’m not scared,” says his Mate with utter honesty. Rafa can read it in his eyes and open face.

“I just… I will bite you. I want do it right not to hurt, no?”

Roger sighs to calm down. “We were through this process many times. You explained, you prepared me so unless _you_ are scared, we can do it, okay?”

Rafa throws a bashful smile at him. “Sí… I am scared a bit,” he suddenly admits even before his brain could have registered the thought. So this was why the Bond made him wait. It wanted him working this out of his system before they go on.

Roger pulls back, putting some narrow distance between their bodies.

“You won’t hurt me, I know,” he says. “I love you. Please, make me yours!”

He is staring at Rafa with such pleading eyes that the vampire’s doubts are melting rapidly. But what seals the deal is Roger’s daring move of standing tall in front of Rafa.

“You know what?” he asks, and slowly begins to open the buttons on his own shirt. When he is done, revealing his naked torso, he steps out of his pants and underwear in one fluid motion, occasionally flicking tentative looks at Rafa.

“Your turn,” he says when he is completely naked, and never waiting for his Mate’s answer, he slowly pulls him up and undresses him, as well.

They are both bare and standing and Roger signs toward the bed with his head.

“Let me try something, will you?”

Rafa nods and allows Roger to arrange them kneeling and facing each other on the bed. Then he lifts his hands palms turned to Rafa. The Bond instantly recognizes the motion and gets more intense again, making Rafa’s skin a glowing shade of ivory and fangs and cock aching with anticipation.

Roger looks down, then up into the silver orbs. “That’s it,” he whispers. “Touch me, Rafael!”

He does as instructed aligning his palms with Roger’s, as if they were back to the Ceremony. His senses are flooded with rightness again, Roger’s smell hitting his nose as strong as ever and Rafa can almost taste his blood on his tongue without biting him.

Roger breathes hard by now, on the verge of overexcitement. “You ready to take the lead, my love?” he asks.

Rafa can only nod once more but he feels confident. He leans in to press his mouth to Roger’s and at the very first touch, everything is lost and found all at once. Some of the last strings of the Bond are reaching out to wake the vampire in Rafa and the next thing Roger knows is being pushed over onto the sheets with Rafa being all over him, kissing his lips hungrily, placing tiny, teasing bites all over his jaw and shoulders and nipples, deliberately avoiding his neck for now.

With every lick, with every bite, every little sigh and moan, the Bond is strengthened, taking them to unknown heights of awareness of their connection. And at the same time, it is sheer unconsciousness, losing all of their own will, surrendering everything to their oneness.

Rafa vaguely remembers hearing the stories about mating, about it being a brainless act, silent, somewhat animalistic. The vampire taking over it, forgetting his name, his human existence, and his Mate’s name. Giving it up to another kind of being above all, living in one another’s body and mind and soul.

But he still finds himself repeating Roger’s name over and over again while mapping and scraping his whole body with the fangs. And Roger actually giggles when Rafa holds his cock up to take the head in his mouth and suck the slit.

This is the last time the vampire takes note of the human in him. Rafa looks up at Roger and smiles sweetly. Roger smiles back, seeing a flash of brown eyes for a second. All of it is gone from then on.

Rafa swallows Roger and even the Bond takes a backward turn for a while, leaving space to only sexuality. Roger submits to it; his arms stop raking all over Rafa’s body and fall limply back onto the bed. His brain switches off everything but the pulsing of his body and when Rafa pushes his thighs up and licks over his entrance, he starts to shake and never stops again. He cannot see or hear beyond the blood rushing in his veins. When he feels a slick finger sliding into him, he is so gone he meets the thrust immediately, wanting more.

The vampire is also eager and ready to give it to him. He lifts Roger’s legs over his shoulders and hears a distinct scream when his cock is sinking inside his Mate. At that moment, when he is buried inside and Roger’s inner muscles are clutched on his cock, the Bond resurges. They both regain seeing and hearing and Roger opens his eyes to look straight into Rafa’s. They stay still, staring, Rafa (the vampire) searching for any sign of discomfort in his Mate’s face but coming up nothing. Roger feels his heart in knots and his eyes widen.

_‘Is the Bond, no worry,’_ Rafa says softly in his mind only. And Roger smiles his most beautiful, reassuring, peaceful smile that Rafa has ever seen.

That’s when he pulls back and starts moving, thrusting into Roger more and more earnestly. And with every drill, the very last strings come together, melting into one massive thread, connecting them in all levels, body, mind, soul and heart.

Rafa feels Roger’s joy building; he feels his own completion coming, too. He grabs Roger’s cock not too gently and gives it a few pulls. That’s all it takes, his Mate is pulsing in his hand, spilling pearly-white and warm fluid all over his own stomach. Rafa doesn’t register much more than the tight clamps on his own cock, and so he bends over, folding Roger in two, and empties himself into the willing body beneath him.

The Bond is overjoyed, chasing its completion, as well, kicking the vampire instincts to full gear and urging Rafa to find that thick vein and sink his hungry fangs into it at long last. And so he does.

Nothing happens how Rafa told Roger it should.

First, Roger never loses consciousness; on the contrary, his senses are so much alert and on edge that he gains his entire sobriety back and feels the sharp, then dull pain when Rafa bites him. He tries to stay motionless but his body is still heaving with his orgasm.

Rafa on the other side _does_ lose his sanity the moment when Roger’s blood hits his tongue following the first suck. Rafa just feeds on in huge gulps, hardly being able to swallow as much as he wants, then passes out, going limp and crashing into Roger’s body.

It is nothing more than a slightly uncomfortable pull anymore for Roger, but he still feels Rafa’s fangs deep in his neck, and the vampire still sucking him. His cock pulses. Then his ass tightens around Rafa. And finally, his body completely calms. A never experienced warmth and tranquillity takes over him. He smiles, and then feels tears rolling down on his face, though he is not really crying. Somewhere deep inside him a blooming Bond smiles back at them, at the vampire and his Mate, and welcomes The Calm as its good old friend.

The world stills around them.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

A fully matured vampire wakes up to his Mate gently caressing his hair.

Roger was prepared to see Rafa changing back after he had drunken his blood, but none of that happens either. When Rafa carefully pulls his fangs back and faces Roger the first time, he looks just like the most spectacular, light-skinned, silver-eyed, strong, adult creature the history had ever seen.

Roger gets quite a bit shy on him but he stares nonetheless, though blushing.

Rafa pulls out of his body, too, and winces in unison with his Mate.

“I sorry, no?” he murmurs. “You in any pain?”

“You know I am,” Roger softly says.

“Sí, sí, I know.”

Roger reaches out to touch his face. “You didn’t change back… but you are… Rafa?”

Rafa licks his lips clean of the last traces of Roger’s blood, while thinking.

_‘I not know why it happen,’_ he sends the mental note to his Mate, who nods, understanding.

“But you are okay, am I feeling it right?” Roger asks and Rafa nods, then a slow grin changes his whole face more into the human Rafa.

Roger never stops touching his skin; he is mesmerised with it. “This is beautiful. You are beautiful. I hope I can see you like this longer to get used to it!”

Rafa (or the vampire) laughs. “I reckon nothing was how it have to be, no? I passed out and you stay awake. Is weird.”

He gets stern suddenly when looking more at Roger’s neck, at the tiny twin holes. They are not that tiny and more torn than they should be.

“I never did that before,” he says, oozing disappointment.

Roger locks his face in his palms then, forcing him to look straight in his eyes.

“But I am your Mate, so it differs. There are no rules to that, you said so.”

This makes Rafa beam at him. “Still I have to try heal them, no?”

And he holds Roger’s hands in his and lay them down on the bed, and then he bends over his neck and sweeps his tongue over the holes. Roger is purring like a cat and his contentedness reassures Rafa, although the wounds don’t disappear completely. He gives it a rest and turns his Mate over on his stomach. With his fingers he pulls Roger’s ass cheeks apart and with the first lap over his hole makes him hiss.

“Easy,” Rafa whispers and Roger melts against the mattress to let the vampire lick him clean of wee drops of blood, quite a large amount of semen and sweat. His skin actually heals there for Rafa’s satisfaction.

“What now?” Roger asks, lying again in Rafa’s strong arms.

“We can go back to the feast, no?”

Roger wrinkles his nose. “But… later… can I do that to you?”

Rafa blushes hard. Which is just a feeling deep inside Roger; otherwise, the vampire’s skin tone does not give anything away.

Roger leans into him then, closing the distance and kissing him. Fire lights up in both of them that instant and Roger gets brave, going on, pushing his tongue in Rafa’s mouth, licking over the fangs. The creature is alert and wants to take over but Roger soothes his instincts with his touches and pleading inside his head.

_‘Please, let me take you!’_ He begs without words.

And Rafa does so. He is not sure it’s even natural in this state, to let anyone get to dominate the vampire, but he is willing to try to give Roger everything he craves.

So Roger kisses over his body, dips tongue into his navel and bites his nipples; licks and sucks his cock with skills he didn’t know he possessed; touches and probes at Rafa’s ass to sneak a spit-slicked fingertip inside; turns him and licks him and pushes his tongue inside that leaves Rafa all hot, keening and relaxed at the same time.

Then Roger takes lube and Rafa’s hand and pours some on his palm and directs it to his erection that stands hard and proud. Rafa looks him in the eye while coating him, losing his human and vampire minds over it and when Roger kneels and pulls Rafa up with him, and back onto his lap, he sinks onto his cock with ease, and Roger gasps and Rafa breathlessly laughs and his fangs are receding suddenly, his skin gets darker and darker by the second and while Roger is thrusting into him and mutters nonsense inside his mind, he gets back to his human self.

Roger watches him intently and still inside him, sitting Rafa back to the hilt, still with Rafa’s back to his own chest. He is circling his arms around the younger man and says, “Welcome back!”

Rafa turns his head and they kiss and Roger stares into Rafa’s eyes for long and sees them hot brown again. Then he pushes Rafa forward to get on all fours and moves inside him again, reaching down to catch his cock and balls in one hand, squeezing them.

Rafa starts stuttering some words aloud and he comes in Roger’s hand while Roger is pushing and pushing into him, making him ride the orgasm out to full completion and exhaustment.

_‘You make me yours,’_ he thinks and Roger is done just by those little words. He is filling Rafa up with his come and slumps down on his back in the end.

They come to Rafa turning around under Roger and smiling tiredly. He is nothing else than a boy again, and Roger is his man, both of them equipped with some magic surrounding them in a gentle glow.

“So this what you guys call mating, eh?” Roger jokes.

Rafa digs his nose up to his lover’s neck, rubs it on the place of the former holes.

“They gone,” he says wondering.

“And you can make a vampire surrender,” winks Roger at him.

Rafa never heard about anything like that. “I think it mean your power over me is more than any Mate’s I know,” he laments.

“Is that bad?” Roger asks with worry obvious in his tone.

Rafa does not know but neither he cares. He is content like this.

“I think I can live with that, Rogi,” he declares.

They fall silent and there is only the Calm, the Bond and the love between them.

~  ~  ~

When they later walk back to the party hand in hand, all the lights flicker for a moment as if they felt their joint energy and power. The feast lasts well into the morning. Their Bond lasts forever.


End file.
